China is asking the US to protect its space station from Elon Musk’s Starlink satellites

After Beijing complained that satellites launched by Elon Musk’s SpaceX nearly hit the station, China is calling on the United States to protect a Chinese space station and its three-man crew.

A State Department spokesman on Tuesday accused Washington of ignoring its treaty obligations to protect the safety of the three-man crew at Tiangong Station following the events of July 1 and October 21.

Tiangong performed “leash maneuvers” to “prevent a potential collision” with Starlink satellites launched by Space Exploration Technologies Corp, the government said in a December 6 complaint to the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space. The United States “must take immediate measures to prevent such incidents from happening again,” said spokesman Zhao Lijian. Zhao accused Washington of failing to meet its obligations to “protect the safety of astronauts” under the 1967 Treaty on Peaceful Use. Of the place

The US embassy in Beijing did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Musk is the founder of electric vehicle maker Tesla, Inc. is also the Chairman of The company opened its first factory outside the United States in Shanghai in 2019. However, the Tiangong is a prestige project for the ruling Communist Party, making it unlikely that Beijing will even tolerate disruption. by a major foreign investor in China.