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A senior SpaceX executive has flagged a close encounter in low-Earth orbit involving a newly launched Chinese satellite and a Starlink spacecraft, renewing concerns over coordination and collision risks as satellite deployments accelerate worldwide.
Michael Nicolls, vice president of Starlink engineering at SpaceX, said that a satellite launched from China earlier this month passed within roughly 200 meters of an operational Starlink satellite at an altitude of about 560 kilometers. The incident, he said, occurred days after nine satellites were deployed from China’s Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the country’s northwest.
According to Nicolls, SpaceX is not aware of any prior coordination or collision-avoidance communication between the Chinese launch operator and existing satellite networks operating in the same orbital regime. He identified the Starlink satellite involved in the near approach as STARLINK-6079, suggesting the event highlights broader systemic risks rather than an isolated incident.
Nicolls linked the close approach to a launch reported by China Daily, which described a recent mission conducted by CAS Space, a Chinese commercial launch provider. While no damage or disruption was reported, the proximity was close enough to raise operational and safety concerns, particularly as satellite constellations continue to expand.
“The majority of operational risk in space today comes from the lack of coordination between satellite operators,” Nicolls said, adding that current practices are insufficient for managing congestion in popular orbital shells. He called for stronger mechanisms to ensure deconfliction and transparency among governments and commercial space companies.
The incident comes amid a sharp rise in satellite launches globally, driven by broadband constellations, Earth observation systems and national space programs. Analysts and regulators have repeatedly warned that without improved data sharing, traffic management and international norms, the risk of collisions — and potentially cascading debris events — will increase.
Neither Chinese space authorities nor CAS Space have publicly commented on the reported near-miss. The episode adds urgency to ongoing international discussions around space traffic management and responsible behavior in orbit, as low-Earth orbit becomes increasingly crowded.
Michael Nicolls, vice president of Starlink engineering at SpaceX, said that a satellite launched from China earlier this month passed within roughly 200 meters of an operational Starlink satellite at an altitude of about 560 kilometers. The incident, he said, occurred days after nine satellites were deployed from China’s Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the country’s northwest.
According to Nicolls, SpaceX is not aware of any prior coordination or collision-avoidance communication between the Chinese launch operator and existing satellite networks operating in the same orbital regime. He identified the Starlink satellite involved in the near approach as STARLINK-6079, suggesting the event highlights broader systemic risks rather than an isolated incident.
Nicolls linked the close approach to a launch reported by China Daily, which described a recent mission conducted by CAS Space, a Chinese commercial launch provider. While no damage or disruption was reported, the proximity was close enough to raise operational and safety concerns, particularly as satellite constellations continue to expand.
“The majority of operational risk in space today comes from the lack of coordination between satellite operators,” Nicolls said, adding that current practices are insufficient for managing congestion in popular orbital shells. He called for stronger mechanisms to ensure deconfliction and transparency among governments and commercial space companies.
The incident comes amid a sharp rise in satellite launches globally, driven by broadband constellations, Earth observation systems and national space programs. Analysts and regulators have repeatedly warned that without improved data sharing, traffic management and international norms, the risk of collisions — and potentially cascading debris events — will increase.
Neither Chinese space authorities nor CAS Space have publicly commented on the reported near-miss. The episode adds urgency to ongoing international discussions around space traffic management and responsible behavior in orbit, as low-Earth orbit becomes increasingly crowded.
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