Chinese Satellite Breaks Apart in Rare Orbit That Could Hold Debris for Centuries

A reconnaissance satellite suffered an unidentified anomaly and broke apart into pieces. Now, those fragments are trapped in a high altitude above Earth, where they risk a head-on collision with another object. China’s Yaogan-50 (02) satellite launched on March 15, 2026, on board a Long March 6A rocket. The satellite successfully reached its operational orbit—a highly retrograde orbit, meaning that it travels in the opposite direction of Earth’s rotation at an altitude of approximately 590 miles (952 kilometers). More

(Source: Gizmodo - Sep 9)