Starlink's Close Call with Chinese Satellite Raises Concerns

A dangerously close encounter occurred between a Starlink satellite and a Chinese spacecraft, highlighting the urgent need for improved coordination among satellite operators. According to Michael Nicolls, VP of SpaceX's Starlink Engineering, a Chinese satellite came within 200 meters of Starlink-6079, which orbits at an altitude of approximately 560 kilometers.

This incident followed the deployment of nine satellites from a Chinese Kinetica 1 rocket launched on December 9 from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. Nicolls emphasized that the lack of ephemeris sharing among operators increases collision risks.

CAS Space, the operator of the Kinetica 1, stated they typically use a ground-based space awareness system to avoid collisions but acknowledged the incident occurred after payload separation. With the number of active satellites in low-Earth orbit reaching around 12,000, including about 8,000 operated by Starlink, the risk of collisions is escalating.

Experts warn about Kessler Syndrome, a scenario where the density of objects in LEO leads to uncontrollable collisions. As Starlink aims to expand its constellation to approximately 42,000 satellites, the pressing need for enhanced global coordination among space agencies remains critical to prevent future incidents.