onsdag 29. desember 2021

Elon Musk's SpaceX satellites catch heat in China over close calls with space station

Elon Musk's rocky year in China is ending on another sour note. The tech billionaire's SpaceX satellites are catching heat in the country after Beijing complained that two satellites launched by the American aerospace manufacturer endangered Chinese astronauts.

In a report sent earlier this month to the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs, China claimed that two SpaceX satellites flew too close to the country's space station this year, forcing the station to make evasive maneuvers to avoid collision.  The two encounters "constituted dangers to the life or health of astronauts aboard the China Space Station," according to the report, which said the incidents happened in July and October.