China urges US to take 'prompt measures' to keep Musk’s satellites away from space station

After two separate near-collision incidents earlier this year, China on Tuesday urged the United States to take “prompt measures” to protect in-orbit astronauts and the steady operation of space facilities. While speaking to reporters, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian confirmed that Starlink satellites launched by Elon Musk’s SpaceX had two close encounters with the China Space Station in July and October. He said that the encounters had prompted Chinese astronauts working there to manoeuvre the station in a bid to avoid a collision in both cases. 

The US should “take prompt measures to prevent such incidents from recurring, and act responsibly to safeguard the safety of in-orbit astronauts and the safe and steady operation of space facilities,” Lijian said. 

Further, while speaking at the press briefing, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman went on to note some of the obligations all space-faring nations hold under the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, such as regarding all astronauts as “envoys of mankind” and the responsibility to inform other treaty signatories of the UN of potential dangers to astronauts in space. Lijian also noted that countries “bear international responsibility for national activities in outer space” conducted by their private firms, such as SpaceX in the United States. 

"The US claims to be a strong advocate for the concept of 'responsible behaviour in outer space,' but it disregarded its [1967 Outer Space] Treaty obligations and posed a grave threat to the safety of astronauts. This is a typical double standard," Lijian said at the Tuesday news conference.

The Chinese spokesperson further added that exploration and peaceful uses of outer space is a common cause of all humanity. Guided by the vision of advancing the welfare of all, China is committed to peaceful uses of space, Lijian said. Moreover, he asked Washington to respect international order in space based on international law, take prompt measures to prevent such incidents from recurring, and act responsibly to safeguard the safety of in-orbit astronauts and the safe and steady operation of space facilities. 

Starlink's two 'close encounters' with Chinese space station

For context, China on Monday said that its space station was forced to take evasive action in a bid to avoid collision with American billionaire Elon Musk’s Starlink satellites. In the document submitted by China to the UN’s space agency, Beijing said that the satellites from Starlink Internet Services had two “close encounters” with the Chinese space station on July 1 and October 21. The Chinese authorities informed that the Starlink satellites descended to lower orbits, which could be to enhance the satellite’s regional communication capacity as the company also planned to launch a batch of satellites into an orbit of around 330km.

For now, SpaceX or Washington has not responded to China’s complaints. But it is to mention that with nearly 3,000 satellites and other debris believed to be orbiting the planet, scientists have repeatedly urged governments to share data to reduce the risk of space collisions. Musk's SpaceX alone has so far deployed nearly 1,900 satellites to serve its Starlink broadband network. However, previously, Tesla and SpaceX CEO tweeted saying that some Starlink satellite orbits had been adjusted to reduce the possibility of collisions.

(Image: Pixabay/AP)