article_snippet: The previously unknown incident was revealed by Space News, after posing questions to Air Force Space Command.
article_snippet: Known as the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program Flight 13 (DMSP-F13), The previously unknown incident was launched back in 1995 and had remained in operation until now.
article_snippet: In 2009 for instance there was a major crash between a US communications satellite and a defunct Russian military probe over Siberia.
article_snippet: Previous explosions in orbit, most notably the accidental collision of a US Iridium satellite and a defunct Russian Cosmos satellite in 2009, have released hundreds of pieces of debris into orbit.
article_snippet: Another notable event was a Chinese anti-satellite missile test in 2007, when Another notable event blew up one of Another notable event own satellites, which was widely condemned.
article_snippet: What makes Another notable event special is that the break-up obviously happened while the satellite was still operational.'