China: Space station deviated twice over near-collision with Starlink satellite

The Chinese government has formally notified the UN of two near-collisions with SpaceX satellites. The Chinese space station would have had to dodge twice to avoid a collision with a Starlink satellite, in July 2020 and October 2021.

The Chinese government is calling on the UN Secretary General to remind countries of their obligations under the Outer Space Treaty and to share details about two near-collisions between SpaceX satellites and China’s Tiangong space station. In the report, dated December 3, the Chinese government explains that there have been two close encounters between Starlink satellites and a module of the space station.

The first time was on July 1, 2020, after Starlink-1095 entered orbit around the Earth at an altitude of 382 kilometers. The Tianhe core module orbits the Earth at an altitude of 390 kilometers. To avoid a collision with Starlink-1095, the module had to swerve, the Chinese government says in the report.

The second time took place on October 21, 2021, when Starlink-2305 changed orbit, without it being clear what the satellite’s movement strategy was. As a precaution, the Chinese space agency intervened and pulled out. Orbiting Now shows that the Starlink satellite was then on its way to final orbit at 550 kilometers altitude, and fluctuated between 386 and 396 kilometers altitude. Tianhe flew on that day between 383 and 391 kilometers altitude.

The Chinese government writes that UN members should be reminded that they bear “international responsibility” for the space activities of both national space agencies and private parties from their country, and both have to abide by the space treaty.

This isn’t the first time a Starlink satellite has come to a near collision with another object orbiting Earth. In 2019, a European satellite had to swerve as a precaution to avoid a collision because there was an increased chance it would hit a Starlink satellite. And in March, it almost came to a collision between OneWeb and Starlink satellites. Two of the companies’ satellites flew past each other about 57 meters away, The Verge reported. There are currently about 1,800 Starlink satellites in orbit.