China Upset with Elon Musk and SpaceX

Starlink satellites had a pair of near-collisions with the Chinese Space Station.

Jeremy Kariuki

Wednesday, December 29, 2021 at 03:40 PM ET

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Elon Musk has not commented on China's issue with SpaceX's Starlink satellites. [Credit: NASA]

Key Takeaways:

China has accused Elon Musk's Starlink satellites of two dangerous near-misses with its space station in July and October, forcing evasive maneuvers to avoid collisions.
The Chinese government formally notified the United Nations, expressing concern that Starlink satellites changed course into their station's orbit and questioned accountability for potential incidents in space.
These events underscore a growing global concern about the rapidly increasing amount of space debris and the lack of regulation as thousands more satellites are planned for launch.

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Elon Musk is under fire from Chinese citizens over two near misses between Starlink satellites and the Chinese space station.

The Chinese government submitted a notice to the United Nations stating that their astronauts were put in danger during two near-misses with SpaceX satellites. The first altercation occurred in July, when the Chinese space station performed evasive maneuvers to avoid the collision with the Starlink satellite.