China’s Shenzhou 20 debris crisis: a catalyst for space war – or peace?

A tiny piece of debris triggered the most serious mishap at China’s Tiangong space station since it became operational three years ago.
Earlier this month, a crack discovered on the Shenzhou-20 spacecraft’s window forced three Chinese astronauts to remain on board Tiangong for nine extra days and eventually borrow their newly arrived colleagues’ ship to return to Earth.
The event underscores the growing threat posed by Earth’s ever-expanding cloud of orbital junk – a scare that could push China,…