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A recently launched Chinese satellite passed within 200 meters of the Starlink-6079 satellite in low-Earth orbit, raising concerns about the risks posed by insufficient coordination between satellite operators. The incident occurred after a Long March 2D rocket launched nine satellites from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Northwestern China, with one of the payloads coming dangerously close to the Starlink satellite at an altitude of 560 km. Michael Nicolls, SpaceX's VP of Starlink Engineering, publicly confirmed the near-miss and emphasized the urgent need for improved sharing of satellite trajectory data to prevent future collisions.
The close approach, which occurred at speeds exceeding 17,400 mph, highlights the growing congestion in low-Earth orbit, where Starlink alone operates approximately 8,000 of the estimated 12,000 active satellites. Both sources cite Nicolls' warning that most of the risk in space operations stems from a lack of coordination and deconfliction between operators, calling for systemic changes to avoid potentially catastrophic incidents in the future.
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SpaceX Starlink vice president Michael Nicolls publicly described the event as a dangerously close near-collision, warning that poor international coordination is increasing collision risks in low Earth orbit. The disclosure drew attention to broader concerns about space traffic management and debris generation.
A satellite launched by Chinese company CAS Space made a dangerously close approach to SpaceX's Starlink-6079 satellite in low Earth orbit, reportedly passing within 200 meters at orbital speed. The incident was attributed to a lack of coordination and trajectory data sharing between operators.
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