Chinese Satellite Near-Miss with Starlink Highlights Orbit Safety Concerns

This article summarizes reporting by Space.com and Mike Wall, alongside official statements from SpaceX and CAS Space.

Orbital Near-Miss Highlights Growing Congestion Risks

A significant safety incident in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) has sparked a public dispute between SpaceX and a Chinese commercial launch provider. On Friday, December 12, 2025, a newly deployed payload from a Chinese rocket passed within approximately 200 meters (656 feet) of an operational Starlink satellite. The event has drawn sharp criticism from SpaceX regarding international data-sharing protocols.

According to reporting by Space.com, the close approach occurred at an altitude of roughly 560 kilometers. The incident involved STARLINK-6079, a satellite that has been in service for over two years, and a payload launched just 48 hours prior aboard a Kinetica-1 (Lijian-1) rocket. SpaceX officials stated that they received no prior coordination regarding the new object’s trajectory.

The event underscores the increasing complexity of space traffic management as commercial entities globally accelerate their Launch cadences. With thousands of satellites currently in orbit and thousands more planned for megaconstellations, the margin for error in LEO is shrinking.

Incident Timeline and Technical Details

Data compiled from US Space Force tracking and independent orbital analysts indicates the encounter took place over the eastern Pacific Ocean at approximately 1:42 AM EST. The Chinese launch vehicle, operated by CAS Space (a commercial spinoff of the Chinese Academy of Sciences), lifted off on December 10, 2025, from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center.

The rocket carried nine satellites, including payloads for the UAE, Egypt, and Nepal, alongside domestic Chinese satellites. One of these objects, tracked as Object 67001, drifted into the operational shell of the Starlink constellation shortly after deployment.

The “Blind” Approach

The core of the controversy lies in the lack of shared orbital data, known as ephemeris. Ephemeris data provides precise predictive positioning for a satellite. Without it, existing operators must rely on radar tracking, which can be delayed or less accurate for newly launched objects.

In a statement on X (formerly Twitter), Michael Nicolls, VP of Starlink Engineering, highlighted the danger of this information gap:

“As far as we know, no coordination or deconfliction with existing satellites operating in space was performed…”

, Michael Nicolls, via X

Nicolls further noted that the lack of pre-launch coordination resulted in the 200-meter close approach, a distance considered critically unsafe given the relative velocities in LEO, which often exceed 17,000 miles per hour.

Conflicting Narratives: SpaceX vs. CAS Space

While SpaceX has characterized the event as a failure of coordination, the Chinese launch provider has defended its operations. CAS Space released a statement asserting that it adhered to all mandatory domestic procedures and utilized a ground-based space awareness system to select its launch window.

The company emphasized that the near-miss occurred nearly two days after payload separation, suggesting that the launch phase had technically concluded. However, SpaceX argues that the responsibility to share trajectory data extends to the early drift phase of a satellite’s life, particularly when launching into a densely populated orbital shell like Starlink’s.

CAS Space has since expressed a willingness to re-establish collaborations to improve future Safety, acknowledging the need for better communication channels.

AirPro News Analysis: The Need for Standardization

This incident illustrates a critical regulatory gap in the modern space race. While the US Space Force and major operators like SpaceX and NASA treat ephemeris sharing as a standard best practice, there is no binding international law requiring it. As China develops its own megaconstellations, such as the “Thousand Sails” project, the frequency of these interactions will statistically increase.

We observe that relying solely on reactive collision avoidance based on Radar-Systems data is becoming insufficient. Without proactive, automated data exchange between rival operators, the risk of a catastrophic collision generating long-lasting debris fields (the Kessler Syndrome) remains a pressing concern for the entire industry.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is ephemeris data?
Ephemeris data is a set of numbers that provides the precise position and velocity of a satellite at a given time. Operators share this to predict where their spacecraft will be in the future, allowing others to plan avoidance maneuvers.

Was there a collision?
No. The satellites passed within approximately 200 meters of each other. While they did not collide, this distance is considered extremely dangerous in space operations.

Who is CAS Space?
CAS Space (Beijing Zhongke Aerospace Exploration Technology Co., Ltd.) is a Chinese commercial launch provider spun off from the Chinese Academy of Sciences. They operate the Kinetica-1 solid-fueled rocket.

Is the Starlink satellite still operational?
Yes. Both the Starlink satellite and the Chinese payload survived the encounter and continue to be tracked in orbit.

Sources: Space.com, CAS Space Statements