China is requesting that the US secure a Chinese space station and its three-person crew after Elon Musk’s SpaceX fired satellites that nearly collided with the station.
Following the July 1 and October 21 mishaps, a foreign ministry spokesman accused Washington of neglecting its treaty commitments to guarantee the safety of the Tiangong station’s three-member crew.
In a Dec. 6 protest to the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, the government claimed that the Tiangong executed “evasive manoeuvres” to “avoid a probable collision” with Starlink satellites launched by Space Exploration Technologies Corp.
According to the spokesman, Zhao Lijian, the US should “take appropriate measures to avoid similar occurrences from occurring again.”
Zhao accused the United States of failing to uphold its commitments under a 1967 treaty on the peaceful use of space to “guard the safety of astronauts.”
A request for comment from the American Embassy in Beijing was not immediately returned.
Musk is also the chairman of Tesla, Inc., an electric vehicle manufacturer. In 2019, the company launched its first factory outside of the US in Shanghai.
The Tiangong, on the other hand, is a prestige project for China’s ruling Communist Party, thus Beijing is unlikely to tolerate any disturbance, even from a significant international investor.
The Tiangong’s primary module was released in April. After a 90-day mission, the first crew returned to Earth in September. On Oct. 16, the second crew, consisting of two men and one woman, arrived for a six-month mission.
As part of a worldwide broadband infrastructure, SpaceX wants to deploy 2,000 Starlink satellites to deliver internet connectivity to underserved areas. SpaceX launched 52 satellites into orbit with its 34th and most recent flight on Dec. 18.
