Over two "close encounters" between the Chinese space station and satellites launched by Elon Musk's SpaceX, China accused the US of reckless and dangerous behavior in space.
According to Science Times, China's Tiangong space station had to move to avoid colliding with one Starlink satellite in July and another in October. One of the satellite experts at Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Jonathan McDowell, also confirmed the conjunctions in a Tweet.
I confirmed the Starlink/Chinese Space Station conjunctions on Jul 1 at 1315 UTC (S-1095) and Oct 21 at 2200 UTC (S-2305), with CSS orbit adjustmets at about 0950 UTC Jul 1 and 0316 UTC Oct 21. The Oct passes shown here: pic.twitter.com/DmbIucpRPF
— Jonathan McDowell (@planet4589) December 28, 2021
"The United States should take immediate measures to prevent the recurrence of such incidents, and adopt a responsible attitude to safeguard the lives of astronauts in orbit and the safe and stable operation of space facilities," foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said on Tuesday per South China Morning Post.
China Demands Immediate Safety Measures From The United States After SpaceX Starlink Satellite Incident
According to ABC News, China's leadership has demanded immediate protection measures from the United States. China indicated that extra precautions are required to protect its space station from other satellite mishaps.
Lijian also stated that the US had failed to fulfill its duties under the 1967 deal. He went on to say that the US could not guarantee the safety of the Chinese astronauts stationed in Tiangong.
As of yet, the American Embassy in Beijing has not responded to China's request to protect its space station.
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Continuing Space Traffic Problem
People across the United States are already using the new Starlink network. According to CNN, it is fast-growing worldwide as SpaceX launches additional Starlink satellites and expands its service into other nations. SpaceX's Starlink network now has some 2,000 satellites, and it is expected to grow significantly.
However, the constellation of satellites and other comparable planned projects and increased commercial and government activities in space have led to a rising problem - how to control space traffic. As humans launch more items into orbit, concerns about probable collisions will undoubtedly arise, and space operations will become more perilous.
It's also worth noting that Russia and China have performed anti-satellite, or ASAT, military experiments that have effectively blown up satellites in orbit and caused large debris plumes in space. This debris whirls wildly through space, posing a hazard to any spacecraft, space station, or satellite that happens to pass along its path.
According to the Starlink website, their satellites are equipped with autonomous collision avoidance technology. The said feature allows them to autonomously duck out of the way if they detect an impending piece of space debris, a space station, or any other space-faring object.
China Prepares to Boycott Tesla After Satellite Mishap
Beijing's protest over Starlink spurred criticism of SpaceX's billionaire CEO Elon Musk on Chinese social media. On the Twitter-like Weibo site, a hashtag regarding the matter had 90 million views on Tuesday.
"How ironic that Chinese people buy Tesla, contributing large sums of money so Musk can launch Starlink, and then he (nearly) crashes into China's space station," one user commented per Science Alert.
Tesla, Musk's electric car company, sells tens of thousands of vehicles every month in China. However, the company's image has suffered this year due to a series of mishaps, controversies, and data security concerns.
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