Introduction
The
tech billionaire's SpaceX satellites are catching heat in the country after China
complained that two satellites launched by the US aerospace manufacturer
endangered Chinese spacemen.
Background
A
report sent earlier this month to the United Nations Office for Outer Space
Affairs, China claimed that two SpaceX satellites flew too close to the
country's space station forcing the station to make elusive maneuvers to avoid
collision. China filed its complaint to the UN early this month. But the
episodes didn't gain widespread attention in the country until this week.
Scrutiny
by Chinese State Media
Chinese
State media scrutinized the incidents, which involved satellites that are part
of SpaceX's Starlink constellation. The
Global Times cited an expert who speculated that SpaceX may have been trying to
test China's capability and response awareness in space.The topic also
attracted some 90 million views on Weibo, a Twitter-like social media service
in China. Users criticized the "US Starlink satellites.
Response
of China
A spokesperson for China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs called on
the United States to take immediate measures to prevent such incidents from
happening again. It is a typical double standard for the US to proclaim the
concept of 'responsible conduct in outer space' while ignoring its obligations
under international treaties on outer space and posing a grave threat to the
lives and safety of spacemen.
Satellite arrangement- A space traffic problem
People across the United States are already using the new Starlink network and it's rapidly
expanding across the globe as SpaceX launches more Starlink satellites and
expands its service into new countries. SpaceX's Starlink arrangement already
includes roughly 2,000 satellites, and it promises to far surpass that amount. But that satellite
constellation, other similar planned projects and increasing commercial and
government activity in space has contributed to a growing problem.
How to manage traffic in space
Near-misses between objects in space happen all the time. And
the apparent close calls documented in China's report to the UN may be symptoms
of a larger problem plaguing space-faring nations: There is not a perfect,
international solution for tracking and coordinating objects in space. Concerns
about potential collisions will likely keep growing, and activities in space
will become more dangerous as humans launch more objects
into orbit. It's not
clear whether the Starlink satellites mentioned in the UN report attempted to
move out of the way of China's space station on their own.
Elon Musk Rejects China’s claims that SpaceX’s satellites are taking up too much room
Elon Musk has rejected Chinese complaints by arguing that tens
of billions of spacecrafts can orbit the earth and we’ve not blocked anyone
from doing anything, nor do we expect to.” Earlier, China requested the UN
secretary-general to remind countries of their “international responsibility
for national activities in outer space, whether such activities are carried on
by governmental agencies or by non-governmental entities. Meanwhile, foreign
ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian urged US to take immediate measures to prevent
the recurrence of such incidents, and adopt a responsible attitude to safeguard
the lives of astronauts in orbit and the safe and stable operation of space
facilities.
Elon Musk faced heavy criticism from Chinese social media users
after the reports about complaints surfaced and he was demanded to
explain. Musk’s private space company
SpaceX has launched almost 1,900 satellites as part of the Starlink network and
plans to deploy tens of thousands more.
Interestingly, Elon Musk is one of the highest-profile foreign
investors in China and has praised China’s economic development and
infrastructure calling it amazing and also has urged people to visit China.
However, 2021 was also a tough year for Musk’s Tesla in China.
In April, the company’s booth at the Shanghai Auto Show was targeted by a
protester complaining about quality problems with its cars. It recalled almost
300,000 cars in China two months later over safety fears.
Conclusion
The controversy could hurt Musk's reputation in China. China
could spur international community to update a treaty rooted in the Cold War as
it flagged the issue of SpaceX satellites' close encounters with its space lab.
China is worried America wants to dominate space and some observers believe the
tech entrepreneur’s company may serve that ambition. Chinese observers believe Washington wants to maintain its dominance in
space and warned that the South African-born entrepreneur’s company SpaceX, which has been given
a contract to build a new satellite for the US military capable of tracking
hypersonic missile launches, may form part of that strategy. Beijing has
repeatedly demanded the US avoids similar incidents, and called on Washington
to be a “responsible player”.
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