LEO Increasingly Cluttered With Chinese Rocket Upper Stages: Consultant

The orbital debris mass in low earth orbit is increasingly dominated by Chinese rocket upper stages, space security consultant Jim Shell wrote Friday. After launches that started in 2024 for the Thousand Sails and Hulianwang W. Digui mega constellations, rocket upper stages for both are being left in high-altitude orbits with orbital lifetimes of more than 100 years, he said. That's contrary to accepted norms, he said. It's expected there will be more than 1,000 Chinese launches over the next several years deploying the constellations, he said.