The US Space Command says it has confirmed that the break-up of a Chinese rocket launched earlier this week resulted in hundreds of pieces of space debris.
The command said on Thursday that the rocket launched on Tuesday broke up and generated “over 300 pieces of trackable debris in low-Earth orbit.”
China used the rocket to ferry 18 satellites into orbit as a part of a project to build its own satellite communications network. The rocket is believed to have broken apart for some reason after deploying the satellites.
The command said that it “has observed no immediate threats and continues to conduct routine conjunction assessments to support the safety and sustainability of the space domain.”
US firm SpaceX said the debris does not pose a significant immediate risk to its Starlink satellite internet services. But the firm said it is closely monitoring the debris, as most of it is likely to remain in space for decades.
The expansion of the satellite business has led to increasing amounts of space debris in recent years.
US space agency NASA says more than 25,000 such objects larger than 10 centimeters are known to exist. They pose a risk of damage to satellite communications systems.