Known orbit planes of Fengyun-1C debris one month after its disintegration by a Chinese interceptor. The white orbit represents the International Space Station (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
Date: 28 January 2013 Time: 07:01 AM ET
The anniversaries of two major space junk events — China's anti-satellite test on Jan. 11, 2007, and the destructive fender-bender between a defunct Soviet Union-era satellite with an operating U.S. spacecraft on Feb. 10, 2009 — are receiving special attention in orbital debris circles.
The Chinese anti-satellite test merited a nod by the Air Force Space Command (AFSPC) Public Affairs Office from Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado, labeling it an "Anniversary Milestone: Satellite Shootdown."
The Jan. 11 AFSPC release noted that the Chinese military used a ground-based missile to hit and destroy its aging Fengyun-1C weather satellite, which was orbiting more than 500 miles (805 kilometers) in space back in 2007..... http://www.space.com/19450-space-junk-worst-events-anniversaries.html