China filed a complaint with the United Nations earlier this month, arguing that it had to perform evasive maneuvers on its space station to avoid possible collisions with two Internet satellites owned by SpaceX (Starlink). The country urges the UN Secretary-General to remind countries of their obligations under international space law, although China has not said exactly what measures it intends to take.
In the complaint, which is dated December 6, China describes two incidents on July 1, 2020 and October 21, 2021, when the country had to maneuver the core module of its Tianhe space station out of the way of two different Starlink satellites. The three Chinese astronauts currently living on Tianhe had only arrived at the station a few days before the October maneuver.
CHINA HAS NOT SPECIFIED WHAT ACTION IT WILL TAKE. China alleged that it was obliged to report the incidents to the UN due to its obligations under the Outer Space Treaty, an international agreement ratified in the 1960s that regulates the exploration of space by individual countries . The treaty contains a number of loose guidelines and rules that countries must adhere to when launching spacecraft and people into space, such as: B. the prohibition on placing nuclear weapons in orbit and the principle that space exploration is a peaceful endeavor. The treaty also states that participating countries are responsible under international law for all their actions in space, including those of their commercial ventures. And China apparently wants everyone to be reminded of this.
The complaint states:
China would like to ask the Secretary-General of the United Nations to forward the above information to all contracting states of the space treaty and to draw their attention to the fact that, according to article VI of the treaty, "the contracting states have international responsibility for national activities in space, including the moon and other celestial bodies , regardless of whether these activities are carried out by government agencies or by non-governmental bodies ... "
Starlink is SpaceX's ambitious Internet-from-space initiative that sees the launch of nearly 12,000 satellites in low-earth orbit to bring broadband Internet to the ground. To date, the company has launched more than 1,900 Starlink satellites, of which nearly 1,800 are still in orbit, according to satellite tracking.
As SpaceX continues to launch large numbers of Starlink satellites into orbit, space observers have raised concerns that the spacecraft could narrow Earth orbit and increase the likelihood of collisions with satellites already in space. In fact, there have been some reports of satellites having to evade Starlink vehicles to avoid collisions. SpaceX claims that its Starlink satellites have their own autonomous collision avoidance software that allows them to evade on their own if the satellites suspect they might get too close to another vehicle or piece of debris.
China said the two evasive maneuvers with Tianhe came after two Starlink satellites changed altitude in space. The first evasive maneuver in 2020 came after a Starlink satellite sank from its long-held orbit at 555 kilometers to 382 kilometers. China claims that the second Starlink satellite that was causing the problems "maneuvered continuously" making it difficult to tell where it was going. Out of consideration for the astronauts on board, China took a precautionary decision to carry out a maneuver to avoid a collision. SpaceX did not respond to a request for comment.
It is not the first time that a space station has to avoid a satellite or a piece of debris. The International Space Station is constantly increasing its orbit in order to avoid possible collisions with objects in space. In November, the astronauts had to seek refuge aboard the ISS after Russia destroyed one of its own satellites in nearby orbit - a feat known as the anti-satellite test (ASAT). The test caused thousands of debris that initially threatened the space station - and may pose a threat to the ISS for years to come.
China is also responsible for some of the International Space Station's collision avoidance maneuvers. In 2007, during an ASAT test, China destroyed one of its own satellites, leaving behind thousands of debris. Much of this debris is still in orbit, and the ISS has had to evade regularly over the past decade to avoid this debris. Now that China has its own space station in orbit, it is getting a taste of the experience.
