China launches recoverable capsule; satellite launched two days ago just misses Starlink satellite
Two Chinese launch-related stories tonight. First, one of the nine satellites launched on a Kinetica-3 rocket on December 10, 2025 apparently almost collided with a Starlink satellite after deployment in orbit.
As far as we know, no coordination or deconfliction with existing satellites operating in space was performed, resulting in a 200 meter close approach between one of the deployed satellites and STARLINK-6079 (56120) at 560 km altitude.
The government-owned pseudo-company that launched the rocket, CAS Space, responded shortly thereafter.
Our team is currently in contact for more details. All CAS Space launches select their launch windows using the ground-based space awareness system to avoid collisions with known satellites/debris. This is a mandatory procedure. We will work on identifying the exact details and provide assistance as the LSP.
It is possible China did the proper due diligence but the large number of satellites in orbit as well as being launched simply makes these events increasingly likely. It is also possible CAS Space is lying, and it didn’t do a thorough analysis prior to launch. Either way, this incident should force it to do a better job in the future.
Next, China tonight (December 13, 2025 in China) continued its annual end-of-year ramp up of launches, placing the first Dear-5 recoverable capsule into orbit, its Kuaizhou-11 rocket lifting off from its Jiuquan spaceport in northwest China. This capsule is comparable to Russia’s Bion capsule, designed to be used for research in orbit for return to Earth for sale.
China’s state-run press made no mention where the rocket’s lower stages crashed inside China.
The leaders in the 2025 launch race:
164 SpaceX
83 China (a new record)
15 Rocket Lab
15 Russia
SpaceX still leads the rest of the world in successful launches, 164 to 135.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The print edition can be purchased at Amazon or from any other book seller. If you want an autographed copy the price is $60 for the hardback and $45 for the paperback, plus $8 shipping for each. Go here for purchasing details. The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
Two Chinese launch-related stories tonight. First, one of the nine satellites launched on a Kinetica-3 rocket on December 10, 2025 apparently almost collided with a Starlink satellite after deployment in orbit.
As far as we know, no coordination or deconfliction with existing satellites operating in space was performed, resulting in a 200 meter close approach between one of the deployed satellites and STARLINK-6079 (56120) at 560 km altitude.
The government-owned pseudo-company that launched the rocket, CAS Space, responded shortly thereafter.
Our team is currently in contact for more details. All CAS Space launches select their launch windows using the ground-based space awareness system to avoid collisions with known satellites/debris. This is a mandatory procedure. We will work on identifying the exact details and provide assistance as the LSP.
It is possible China did the proper due diligence but the large number of satellites in orbit as well as being launched simply makes these events increasingly likely. It is also possible CAS Space is lying, and it didn’t do a thorough analysis prior to launch. Either way, this incident should force it to do a better job in the future.
Next, China tonight (December 13, 2025 in China) continued its annual end-of-year ramp up of launches, placing the first Dear-5 recoverable capsule into orbit, its Kuaizhou-11 rocket lifting off from its Jiuquan spaceport in northwest China. This capsule is comparable to Russia’s Bion capsule, designed to be used for research in orbit for return to Earth for sale.
China’s state-run press made no mention where the rocket’s lower stages crashed inside China.
The leaders in the 2025 launch race:
164 SpaceX
83 China (a new record)
15 Rocket Lab
15 Russia
SpaceX still leads the rest of the world in successful launches, 164 to 135.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The print edition can be purchased at Amazon or from any other book seller. If you want an autographed copy the price is $60 for the hardback and $45 for the paperback, plus $8 shipping for each. Go here for purchasing details. The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News


Robert:
I notice that my follow-up check representing my donation has yet to clear. Did you receive it?
Dave Walden
Dave Walden: Yes, I did, and I have deposited it. Give it a week or two more.
Thank you again! I was quite floored by your generosity.
Space is big. China likely did this on purpose
Seems like that shell around the Earth is increasingly crowded. Surprised we haven’t had more collisions given the planned satellite constellations for internet service. Makes me wonder if SpaceX might consider lifting the orbitals of the next generation of satellites just to have elbow room.
Rockribbed1,
I certainly bear no love for the PRC – as anyone familiar with my comment history here can readily attest – but there is an old principle that most likely applies here – never attribute to malice what is adequately explained by mere stupidity.
The PRC had, quite literally, 75 – 80 times more to lose from a collision than did SpaceX. The PRC would-be mega-constellation in question – to which the nine sats launched were added – numbers barely over 100 birds at present after a full year of quite unimpressive deployments. SpaceX, in contrast, has about 8,000 Starlinks in service with 3,000 of those launched just this year. Starlink sats have a small, but still non-zero, infant mortality rate so losing one sat to PRC incompetence would be of no consequence to the larger Starlink project. Not even a rounding error.
Michael Nichols, SpaceX’s VP of Starlink Engineering — whose post on X was what CAS Space was replying to — replied a few hours ago to CAS Space:
“We appreciate the responsiveness and look forward to engaging in coordination for future launches. Establishing data sharing between all satellite operators is critical.”
https://x.com/michaelnicollsx/status/1999831980318609642
A dubious buck-passing effort by CAS. but SpaceX seems to be trying to play nice.
I wouldn’t question their passion
https://spacenews.com/u-s-air-force-secretary-warns-chinas-space-gains-are-driven-by-more-than-copying/
China still has a greater commitment to space than Europe–despite their modest bump.
China has plans for an even larger constellation than SpaceX has now. China needs to get its act together or it will have this same problem launching into its own constellation. I notice that there were no other reports that other launchers had similar problems with the Starlink constellation. Obviously, it is possible to avoid these situations.
The smart person learns from his own mistakes. The wise person learns from other people’s mistakes. China has not learned from other countries’ mistakes, nor does it learn from its own mistakes and still drops boosters on its own citizens’ heads.