""As far as we know, no coordination or deconfliction with existing satellites operating in space was performed, resulting in a [656 feet] close approach between one of the deployed satellites and STARLINK-6079 (56120) at [350 miles] altitude," Starlink engineering VP Michael Nicolls tweeted. "Most of the risk of operating in space comes from the lack of coordination between satellite operators - this needs to change.""
""The Chinese Kinetica 1 rocket, which launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert on December 9, is operated by Guangzhou-based space company CAS Space. It carried "six Chinese multifunctional satellites," alongside a number of other spacecraft for international partners, according to state-owned news network China Daily. The firm has since distanced itself from the event, implying that it hadn't done anything wrong. "Our team is currently in contact for more details," CAS Space tweeted in response to Nicolls. "All CAS Space launches select their launch windows using the ground-based space awareness system to avoid collisions with known satellites/debris. This is a mandatory procedure.""
Orbital space is becoming increasingly crowded as companies and nations deploy new satellite constellations at high speed. A recent close approach required a Starlink satellite to fire thrusters to avoid collision with a Chinese-launched satellite. Starlink engineering leadership reported a 656-foot near miss at roughly 350 miles altitude and blamed a lack of coordination and shared ephemeris among operators. The Chinese Kinetica 1 launch from Jiuquan carried six multifunctional satellites and international payloads. CAS Space stated that launches use ground-based space awareness to choose launch windows, said it is investigating details, and acknowledged the need for more coordination.
Read at Futurism
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