Elon Musk Faces Backlash In China After ‘Close Encounters’

[Deleted]

Elon Musk Faces Backlash In China After ‘Close Encounters’ Between His Starlink Satellites And Chinese Space Station

Billionaire Elon Musk is facing criticism in China after the country recently complained that its budding space station, which is still in construction, had two “close encounters” with satellites launched by SpaceX’s Starlink program earlier this year.

KEY FACTS

The Chinese space station was twice forced to take evasive action in order to avoid collision with satellites launched by Musk’s rocket company SpaceX, according to a document submitted by China to the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs earlier this month.



Though the claims have not been independently verified and SpaceX is yet to respond, China alleges that its space station had to implement “preventive collision avoidance control” both on July 1 and October 21 when faced with oncoming Starlink satellites.


According to the document, China informed the U.N. Secretary-General that the close encounters with Starlink satellites “constituted dangers to the life or health of astronauts aboard the China Space Station.”



The news was quickly followed by an intense backlash against Musk on Chinese social media site Weibo, with handfuls of users criticizing the billionaire’s space ambitions, Reuters first reported Monday.



China began building its space station in April 2021 with the successful launch of its Tianhe core module and expects construction to be completed by the end of 2022.link

[deyana]

It's an accident just waiting to happen.

Did someone say Star(link) Wars?

Will Nations soon be fighting for Space space?

[sb]

Dec 27, 2021 19:01:59 GMT -5 deyana said:

It's an accident just waiting to happen.

Did someone say Star(link) Wars?

Will Nations soon be fighting for Space space?

Is it a pre-emptive excuse to destroy the Space X satellites?

To answer your second question: almost certainly. He who holds the high ground wins.


 

[Springschick]

Dec 28, 2021 8:30:16 GMT -5 sb said:

Dec 27, 2021 19:01:59 GMT -5 deyana said:

It's an accident just waiting to happen.

Did someone say Star(link) Wars?

Will Nations soon be fighting for Space space?

Is it a pre-emptive excuse to destroy the Space X satellites?

To answer your second question: almost certainly. He who holds the high ground wins.


 

Wise words, Obi-Wan.

When we went on a tour of NORAD with the General in charge at the time, Ted Mercer, he showed us a picture showing all the objects orbiting Earth. There are tens of thousands of pieces of equipment and space junk. He said that before they can launch anything, they have to figure the trajectories of all of those pieces of debris.

[sb]

Dec 28, 2021 9:26:09 GMT -5 Springschick said:

Dec 28, 2021 8:30:16 GMT -5 sb said:

Is it a pre-emptive excuse to destroy the Space X satellites?

To answer your second question: almost certainly. He who holds the high ground wins.


 

Wise words, Obi-Wan.

When we went on a tour of NORAD with the General in charge at the time, Ted Mercer, he showed us a picture showing all the objects orbiting Earth. There are tens of thousands of pieces of equipment and space junk. He said that before they can launch anything, they have to figure the trajectories of all of those pieces of debris.

And it doesn't help when China blows shit up on purpose up there.


www.space.com/3415-china-anti-satellite-test-worrisome-debris-cloud-circles-earth.html#:~:text=The%20intentional%20destruction%20on%20Jan.%2011%20of%20China%27s,the%20course%20of%20five%20decades%20of%20space%20operations.

[Deleted]

Oh noes! Backlash from China for speaking the truth.

[Springschick]

No, it doesn't.

Wouldn't it be great if everyone worked together instead of against each other? Everything is so us/them that I am afraid that there is little hope of moving forward.

[Deleted]

Dec 28, 2021 10:01:12 GMT -5 Springschick said:

No, it doesn't.

Wouldn't it be great if everyone worked together instead of against each other? Everything is so us/them that I am afraid that there is little hope of moving forward.

So true.

[Deleted]

Moreover, not only SpaceX, but also Tesla Motors began to be harassed online (even phrases like "space weapons" were used). And the Chinese authorities not only informed the UN, but wrote an official complaint there. In response, the European Space Agency accused SpaceX of a monopoly in space.
Personally, my opinion - it's just jealousy. SpaceX engines have no analogues in the world, and their navigation and landing stabilization system makes competitors only blink their eyes enviously!

[deyana]

Not sure what to think about this really.

Did Elon Musk do wrong or are the Chinese just over-reacting?

Are the skies not big enough for everyone?

Will the next war be over Space space?

Seems to me that the world is going to hell in a handbasket (as they say)

No safety to be had on earth or in space.

[Deleted]

Jan 20, 2022 2:04:44 GMT -5 deyana said:

Not sure what to think about this really.

Did Elon Musk do wrong or are the Chinese just over-reacting?

Are the skies not big enough for everyone?

Will the next war be over Space space?

Seems to me that the world is going to hell in a handbasket (as they say)

No safety to be had on earth or in space.

War in space is inevitable. And every year its prospect is getting closer, because many countries are building up the corresponding potential. Today, the military space industry market is estimated at about $740 billion, and by 2025 it will cross the $1 trillion mark. But when they talk about war in space, they usually think of spaceships, infantry and laser guns (so far, this is still far away). But the "First Space War" has already taken place - it happened 30 years ago. On the ground. And the next war will definitely affect the orbit.

“Space objects will inevitably become the targets of any major war. Consequently, the war will also spread to space, because Armed forces around the world rely heavily on space systems,” Dale Stephens, professor of international space and military law at the University of Adelaide (https://iafastro.directory/iac/archive/browse/IAC-17/E7/5/37108/).