[Satellite TODAY 03-11-13] An active Russian spacecraft has collided with a piece of space debris, believed to be from a destroyed Chinese satellite. The impact between Russia’s Ball Lens in the Space (BLITS) and China’s Fengyun 1C Satellite, occurred on Jan. 22, however the cause of the crash was not determined until now.

   According to the Center for Space Standards & Innovation (CSSI), based in Colorado Springs, Colo., the piece of China’s spacecraft has been orbiting our planet since 2007, when the Chinese destroyed it in an anti-satellite demonstration.   

   BLITS is a retroreflector demonstration satellite designed for precision satellite laser-ranging experiments. It was launched in 2009 with a five-year life expectation. The spacecraft weighs 7.5 kilos and, according to CSSI, it was struck by a .08-gram piece from Fengyun 1C. 

   Russian scientists from the Institute for Precision Instrument Engineering (IPIE) in Moscow reported the collision to CSSI on Feb. 4 after noticing an “abrupt change” on BLITS’ spin period from 5.6 seconds to 2.1 seconds. They also reported a sudden decrease of 120 meters in the semi-major axis of its orbit.

It is still unclear whether BLITS will be able to continue operations or if it was completely damaged by the collision.