Chinese and US space agencies make rare collaboration to steer satellites away from danger
China and US act to stop their satellites crashing into each other
- Chinese and American space agencies recently collaborated for the first time to prevent satellite collisions, with China initiating the manoeuvre.
- This rare cooperation highlights growing concerns over space traffic, as both nations are deploying numerous satellite megaconstellations.
- Low-Earth orbit is increasingly congested with thousands of active satellites, including 8,500 from SpaceX's Starlink, and hundreds of thousands of debris objects.
- Future plans include China launching over 10,000 satellites by the 2030s and SpaceX aiming for 42,000 Starlink satellites.
- Despite the urgent need for collaboration, the 2011 Wolf Amendment restricts NASA's cooperation with China, increasing risks of collisions and impacting astronomical observations.