China ’s quad agency says itsspace stationwas forced to take evasive action on two occasions this year for avoid being struck by orbiter maneuver by Elon Musk ’s SpaceX. In areportto the United Nations ( UN ) Committee on the Peaceful Use of Outer Space , Taiwanese officials claim the Starlink satellites “ constituted dangers to the life or health of spaceman aboard the China Space Station , ” and urged the body to prompt the US of its obligation in cranial orbit .
Starlinkis a configuration of Internet orbiter launched by SpaceX so as to cater coverage to Earth ’s most remote realm . Since deploy its first batch of satellite in 2019 the company has increased its fleet to almost 1,900 and project to launch thousands more in the nigh time to come .
allot to the UNOuter Space Treaty signed in 1967 , nations are responsible for the extraterrestrial bodily function of private companies , and China has therefore called on the US to renew its commitment to the responsible for use of space after the recent incidents regard Starlink satellites .
The first of these is say to have assume place on July 1 , 2021 , when “ a close skirmish happen between the Starlink-1095 planet and the China Space Station . ” According to China ’s report , the latter was forced into an evasive maneuver in order “ to avoid a possible collision between the two spacecraft . ”
A alike event is said to have unfolded on October 21 , when “ the Starlink-2305 artificial satellite had a subsequent closelipped brush with the China Space Station . ” In the papers accede to the UN , China excuse that the satellites ' irregular drift lay a “ collision risk ” , and that the decision to skirt the cunning was therefore consume “ to ensure the condom and lives of in - orbit astronauts . ”
While SpaceX is yet to comment on these accusations , the outlet of overcrowding within depleted - Earth orbit has become a major point of contention over late years . For representative , in March of this year , a robotic arm attached to the International Space Station ( ISS ) was damaged by a bit ofspace rubble , while two NASA cosmonaut were forced to abandon a spacewalk last month due to space debris .
The collection of item within this altitude range has leave to tenseness between nations , with Russia of late receiving criticism forblowing up a satelliteand generate dust that drive cosmonaut and cosmonauts onboard the ISS to take shelter . Elon Musk and SpaceX have also beenreproachedfor the sheer telephone number of satellites that the company design to launch and theirimpact on astronomy , and these latest incident will do picayune to relieve fears around overcrowding in outer space .
