U.S. Responds to China’s Complaints Over Starlink Satellites

Official note to the United Nations claims China’s concerns were unwarranted.

Jeremy Kariuki

Tuesday, February 08, 2022 at 03:53 PM ET

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SpaceX's Starlink program was created to provide low-cost internet to remote locations. [Courtesy: SpaceX]

Key Takeaways:

The U.S. has officially denied China's claims that SpaceX's Starlink satellites posed a collision risk to its space station and astronauts in 2021.
In a letter to the UN, the U.S. stated that emergency collision notifications were not issued because the incidents did not meet established safety criteria for a "significant probability of collision."
China had reported two close encounters in April and October 2021, asserting that Starlink satellites changed course and forced its space station to perform evasive maneuvers.

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The U.S. is refuting claims by China that SpaceX’s Starlink satellites endangered its space station and astronauts last year.

In a letter to the United Nations dated January 28, the U.S. reiterated that it is “committed to sustainable, rules-based activities in outer space, whether those activities are performed by Governments or by non-governmental entities, including the private sector.”