Yes, the higher the level of the technology the more fragile it is.

Also the more tightly controlled a system is the more brittle it becomes.

If you assume 100% reliability for an item with one moving part a system with two parts is only 1/4 as reliable.

(Now the fact that both satellites were obsolete it makes me wonder if this was not a test to see if they could be collided, especially when I consider how unlikely such a collision is by pure chance)