China files complaint after alleged near-miss with Musk’s SpaceX satellites

The two Starlink satellites came close to the space station in July and October, foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said in Beijing on Tuesday. At the time, Chinese astronauts were conducting missions to the station, which had to adopt emergency measures to avoid a collision, he said.

In a July presentation to the Federal Communications Commission, SpaceX said it has launched nearly 1,800 Starlink satellites to date and is active in more than 20 countries.

It plans to rapidly increase the speed of satellite launches in the coming years. In a commission filing, SpaceX has said it wants to add at least 30,000 more satellites.

The space race between the US and China intensifies as developments intensify and traffic in low-Earth orbit becomes increasingly chaotic. China has been barred by US law from working with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration for a decade, and has since pursued an increasingly adventurous space program of its own. It began construction of a space station earlier this year, aiming for completion by the end of 2022.

Mr. Zhao referred to the Outer Space Treaty of 1967, which stipulates that all countries must respect and protect the safety of astronauts. He said the Chinese government informed the UN Secretary-General about the impending events on 3 December.

“The United States continues to proclaim the so-called concept of responsibility in outer space, but it disregards international treaty obligations and poses a serious threat to the safety of astronauts,” Mr. Zhao said. “It’s typical double standards.”

Space Exploration Technologies Corp., the company’s formal name founded by Musk nearly two decades ago, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.