China attacks SpaceX, claiming Starlink satellites threaten its space station
China earlier this month submitted a complaint against SpaceX to the UN, claiming that the company’s Starlink satellites have twice forced it to adjust the orbit of its space station to avoid a collusion.
The note said the incidents “constituted dangers to the life or health of astronauts aboard the China Space Station”.
“The U.S. … ignores its obligations under international treaties, posing a serious threat to the lives and safety of astronauts,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said at a routine briefing on Tuesday.
The story became news today because there was suddenly a flurry of outrage against SpaceX on Chinese social media, responding to Lijian’s statement, with much of it very likely astroturf posts prompted by the Chinese government itself.
This announcement likely signals that China is getting ready to launch the next module to that station. During that launch the large core stage of the Long March 5B rocket will reach orbit, but only for a few days. It will then crash uncontrolled somewhere on Earth. The Chinese government knows it is going to get a lot of bad press because of this fact, and is likely making this complaint to try to excuse its own bad actions.
The two issues however are not the same. Satellite orbits are very predictable, and any maneuvers required by China to avoid Starlink satellites were very routine. Moreover, if necessary SpaceX can adjust its own satellite orbits to avoid a collusion.
The crash of the Long March 5B core stage however is due entirely to a bad design that does not allow for any controlled maneuvers. Once the stage’s engines shut down after delivering the station module into orbit, they cannot be restarted, as designed. The stage must fall to Earth in an unpredictable manner, threatening every spot it flies over during that orbital decay.
At this time the actual launch date for that Long March 5B launch, carrying the next station module, has not been announced. The astronauts on the station just completed their second spacewalk, doing work to prepare for the arrival of the next module. Its arrival can’t be too far in the future, and this complaint by China today suggests it will be sooner rather than later. When it happens China will face a flurry of justified criticism, and the Xi government likely plans to use this UN complaint then to deflect that criticism.
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China earlier this month submitted a complaint against SpaceX to the UN, claiming that the company’s Starlink satellites have twice forced it to adjust the orbit of its space station to avoid a collusion.
The note said the incidents “constituted dangers to the life or health of astronauts aboard the China Space Station”.
“The U.S. … ignores its obligations under international treaties, posing a serious threat to the lives and safety of astronauts,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said at a routine briefing on Tuesday.
The story became news today because there was suddenly a flurry of outrage against SpaceX on Chinese social media, responding to Lijian’s statement, with much of it very likely astroturf posts prompted by the Chinese government itself.
This announcement likely signals that China is getting ready to launch the next module to that station. During that launch the large core stage of the Long March 5B rocket will reach orbit, but only for a few days. It will then crash uncontrolled somewhere on Earth. The Chinese government knows it is going to get a lot of bad press because of this fact, and is likely making this complaint to try to excuse its own bad actions.
The two issues however are not the same. Satellite orbits are very predictable, and any maneuvers required by China to avoid Starlink satellites were very routine. Moreover, if necessary SpaceX can adjust its own satellite orbits to avoid a collusion.
The crash of the Long March 5B core stage however is due entirely to a bad design that does not allow for any controlled maneuvers. Once the stage’s engines shut down after delivering the station module into orbit, they cannot be restarted, as designed. The stage must fall to Earth in an unpredictable manner, threatening every spot it flies over during that orbital decay.
At this time the actual launch date for that Long March 5B launch, carrying the next station module, has not been announced. The astronauts on the station just completed their second spacewalk, doing work to prepare for the arrival of the next module. Its arrival can’t be too far in the future, and this complaint by China today suggests it will be sooner rather than later. When it happens China will face a flurry of justified criticism, and the Xi government likely plans to use this UN complaint then to deflect that criticism.
I must unfortunately ask you for your financial support because I do not depend on ads and rely entirely on the generosity of readers to keep Behind the Black running. You can either make a one time donation for whatever amount you wish, or you sign up for a monthly subscription ranging from $2 to $15 through Paypal or $3 to $50 through Patreon.
Your support will allow me to continue covering science and culture as I have for the past twenty years, independent and free from any outside influence.
Your support is even more essential to me because I not only keep this site free from advertisements, I do not use the corrupt social media companies like Google, Twitter, and Facebook to promote my work. I depend wholly on the direct support of my readers.
You can provide that support to Behind The Black with a contribution via Patreon or PayPal. To use Patreon, go to my website there and pick one of five monthly subscription amounts, or by making a one-time donation. For PayPal click one of the following buttons:
If Patreon or Paypal don't work for you, you can support Behind The Black directly by sending your donation by check, payable to Robert Zimmerman, to
Behind The Black
c/o Robert Zimmerman
P.O.Box 1262
Cortaro, AZ 85652
Or you can donate by using Zelle through your bank. You will need to give my name and email address (found at the bottom of the "About" page). The best part of this electronic option is that no fees will be deducted! What you donate will be what I receive.
That’s rich that they are complaining about Starlink, but China also wants to put up a version of their own system. Just a side note, Tiangong-3 (the Tianhe module), has an orbit roughly 382km x 390km and the Starlink satellites are stacked between 550 -580km.
In SpaceX’s defense, they have notified the parties of deorbited satellites per treaty and are active on collision avoidance. Starlink’s satellites while being deorbited have used the satellite’s onboard engine to avoid the ISS and other satellites in orbit.
Christmas in China:
Son: “Is that Santa on the roof?”
Father: “No, it is the core stage of the Long March 5B.”
Chinese communists or american communists are attacking Space X? Hard to tell the difference, talking points are the same.
The orbits where Starlink resides must be getting relatively crowded. If you operate there, it would be reasonable to expect course corrections.
I wonder if nations are going to start fighting over orbital real estate. I’d say the UN or some international body could regulate, but we all know how that will work. What happens if a starlink satellite smashes into the Chinese space station, either by accident or plan? Probably only a matter of time before the gloves come off and the ASAT weapons fly.
Aaaand FAA just postponed its decision on Boca Chica to Feb 28.
https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=52656.msg2325698#msg2325698
Boo hoo…I’m playing the world’s smallest violin….
Jay … or alternatively, a”Grandma got run over by a core stage …”
Elon Musk
-Lex Fridman Podcast
December 28, 2021
https://youtu.be/DxREm3s1scA
2:31:47
Screw China and the Jackass they rode in on
Good one Jester!
Working on the lyrics… The Central Committee and Youtube (the bigger commie of the two) have banned it already. They want the following edits: the reference to Christmas to be called “Mao-mas”, Taiwan is a province, replace Santa with Xi, and Grandma was a counter-revolutionary.