Starlink vs. China Satellites: SpaceX Warns 200-Meter Near-Collision Exposes Growing Risk in Crowded Low Earth Orbit
A tense new flashpoint in the race to fill low Earth orbit (LEO) with broadband megaconstellations unfolded this month after SpaceX said one of its Starlink satellites narrowly avoided a close approach with a spacecraft launched from China—missing by roughly 200 meters (about 650 feet) at an altitude of around 560 kilometers (about 350 miles). Space+1 The incident itself didn’t create debris, trigger service outages, or end with a visible confrontation in space. But the aftermath—public statements, finger-pointing over who should have shared what data, and renewed warnings about “Kessler syndrome”—is quickly turning a routine-looking conjunction event into a global