SpaceX satellites came close to space station: China
BEIJING: China on Tuesday alleged that US billionaire Elon Musk-owned SpaceX’s satellites had two “close encounters” with its space station in orbit, and has complained to the UN about the incidents which endangered the safety of the Chinese astronauts.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian, addressing a media briefing here, said that the Chinese space station was forced to avoid collisions with satellites launched by Musk’s Starlink Internet Services project. During this period, the Chinese astronauts were executing missions in the Space Station (CSS), he said.
Zhao said China has complained to the UN Secretary on December 3 about the SpaceX satellites’ close encounters under the principles of Outer Space Treaty, warranting the signatories to report any violations to protect the lives of astronauts.
The incidents occurred on July 1 and October 21, according to a document submitted by China this month to the UN Office for Outer Space Affairs, according to media reports. Accusing the US of ignoring its obligations under the treaty posing a severe threat to the astronauts, Zhao urged Washington to take measures to prevent such close encounters from happening again and “act in a responsible manner”. The CSS “Tiangong” has stayed in a near-circular orbit at an altitude of around 390 kms above the earth since it was launched on April 29.Since its launch, China has sent two batches of three astronauts to build the under-construction CSS which was expected to be ready by next year.
Once ready, China will be the only country to own a space station while the International Space Station (ISS) of Russia is a collaborative project of several countries.