Low Earth orbit is becoming increasingly congested despite the vastness of space. Michael Nicolls, vice president of engineering at Starlink, shared on social media that one of their satellites barely avoided smashing into a newly deployed Chinese spacecraft.
According to Nicolls, China launched nine satellites last week from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. These launches apparently lacked coordination with international space operators, leading to a tense encounter. A Starlink unit orbiting at approximately 350 miles elevation skimmed past one of the newcomers with just 650 feet of separation—an alarmingly narrow margin.
Without operators exchanging orbital data like ephemeris, such hazardous near-misses become all too possible. Nicolls noted that the deployment occurred without prior notice or collaboration from the involved parties.
Starlink currently maintains close to 9,000 satellites aloft, many of which execute evasive actions to steer clear of orbital neighbors. Over the six months ending in late May 2025, these efforts tallied 144,404 individual adjustments.
Effective planning for these dodges relies on data about other operational spacecraft. The Chinese firm CAS Space, behind the recent launch, stated on social media that it's probing the incident and pledges to offer support moving forward.
This piece originated in our affiliated outlet PC för Alla and has been adapted from its Swedish version.