China, the Leading Space Invader - China Real Time Report - WSJ

China is the world’s leading space polluter, according to a report by the Russian space agency.

Reuters
The final pollution frontier?

China accounts for 40% of the debris in orbit around the earth, followed by the U.S. and Russia, who contributed roughly a quarter each, according to the Russian Federal Space Agency Roscosmos.

Most of China’s debris comes from the 2007 deliberate destruction of the Fengyun-1C weather satellite, according to NASA. After China shot the satellite with a missile it burst into 2,841 pieces. Before then, the U.S. and Russia accounted for the bulk of space junk.

Back on planet Earth, the environmental cost of China’s unprecedented economic growth has been well documented. Air, water and land quality have all deteriorated as hundreds of millions of people have been lifted out of poverty.

Now, add space to the list.

China is only the third nation after the U.S. and Russia to independently launch a human into space and has ambitious plans to build its own manned space station and explore the moon.

– Shai Oster