Risk of 'Space Traffic Collision' Escalates Amid US-China Tensions [Im Juhyung's Tech Talk]

Increasing Risk of Space Object Collisions... US-China Tensions Escalate
Over 1,700 Satellites Launched This Year Alone
Russia and Others Attempt 'Space Weaponization'
Satellite Collisions and Explosions Increase Debris, Threatening Space Development
Experts Urge "International Space Law to Reduce Risks"

Computer graphic (CG) image of China's space station 'Tiangong' / Photo by Wikipedia capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] As the space race among world powers intensifies, tensions between countries are also escalating. This time, Chinese diplomatic authorities have sharply criticized the United States, claiming that their space station nearly collided with an American satellite.

With the space industry, including satellite-based internet, becoming fully active, the increasing "clutter" in outer space is emerging as a new problem. Collisions between objects orbiting the Earth and the resulting space debris could cause serious economic and security crises.

◆Space Growing More Complex... Conflicts Arise Between Nations and Companies

According to reports from Hong Kong media 'South China Morning Post' (SCMP) and others on the 28th (local time), the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs requested the U.S. authorities to ensure the safety management of SpaceX's Starlink satellites, the space company founded by Elon Musk.

Zhao Lijian, spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated at a regular briefing that the Starlink satellites recently nearly collided with China's space station 'Tiangong,' and criticized, "The United States must take immediate measures to prevent such accidents from recurring and adopt a responsible attitude to ensure the lives of astronauts and the safe and stable operation of space facilities."

SpaceX rocket fully loaded with Starlink space internet satellites / Photo by Yonhap News

According to materials submitted by the Chinese government to the United Nations (UN) this month, Tiangong had to change its orbit twice in July and October to avoid collisions with Starlink satellites.

As the space development of major powers accelerates, related conflicts are also growing. In fact, this is not the first time Starlink satellites have nearly caused a "space traffic accident." On March 30, a Starlink satellite and one of the cluster satellites of the British satellite internet operator OneWeb narrowly missed each other.

The closest distance between the two satellites was only about 58 meters. Although this is a very long distance to the naked eye, if both companies had not adjusted their orbits in time, a collision could have occurred, potentially causing the first-ever "space traffic accident."

Even companies from the friendly countries of the U.S. and the U.K. find it difficult to coordinate in space, so the conflict between the U.S. and China over dominance in advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and space is expected to be unimaginably fierce.

◆1,700 Satellites Launched This Year Alone... Risk of 'Weaponization of Space'

The reason the possibility of collisions between objects orbiting Earth is increasing is that outer space is becoming increasingly crowded. SpaceX and OneWeb, which are building satellite-based internet infrastructure, are deploying thousands of internet satellites in low Earth orbit. Accordingly, the U.S. and the U.K. are continuously launching rockets into space.

The number of satellite launches by countries worldwide. The United States shows a dominant lead, followed by the United Kingdom and China. / Photo by Our World in Data website capture

According to the international data aggregation website 'Our World in Data,' humanity has launched a total of 1,704 objects into orbit this year. This is about 500 more than last year's 1,273.

Among them, the U.S. (1,181) ranked first overwhelmingly, followed by the U.K. (252) and China (99). This is why China demands a "responsible attitude" from the U.S. and other Western countries.

In addition, the European Union, Russia, Japan, and others are developing launch vehicles and sending satellites into space, and emerging space development countries such as South Korea are also joining the competition, so the density of Earth's orbit is expected to increase further. As the number of satellites moving along fixed paths continues to grow, the risk of collision accidents naturally increases.

Moreover, efforts to "weaponize" outer space are making orbits even more dangerous. On the 15th of last month, the U.S. State Department officially stated that "Russia conducted a test of an anti-satellite weapon that intercepts its own satellite." Anti-satellite weapons are missiles capable of flying hundreds of kilometers above the Earth's surface, developed to destroy military reconnaissance and communication satellites.

The International Space Station (ISS) orbiting the Earth / Photo by Yonhap News

The problem is that when such weapons destroy satellites, hundreds of fragments are generated. The U.S. State Department criticized the Russian military authorities' irresponsibility, stating, "This test created more than 1,500 pieces of debris," and "The debris headed toward the International Space Station (ISS), causing astronauts to evacuate."

Outer space is a place where the influence of gravity is almost negligible. Therefore, when collisions or explosions of satellites create debris or "space junk," these objects orbit Earth at extremely high speeds. Some debris moves at speeds of up to 10 km per second. Even very small fragments can cause catastrophic damage to rockets or space stations due to their tremendous destructive power.

If too much space debris accumulates in Earth's orbit due to accidents between countries or disputes between companies, humanity may no longer be able to advance into space.

◆"Establish International Space Law to Create a Sustainable Space Industry"

Experts urge the creation of an "international space law" that all countries can respect to ensure safe and orderly space development.

Stephen Freeland, Emeritus Professor at Western Sydney University in Australia, recently contributed an article to the academic media 'The Conversation,' proposing the introduction of legally binding "space law," stating, "As satellites become more common, the risk of collision accidents inevitably increases."

According to Professor Freeland, space law is based on the "Outer Space Treaty" concluded by the UN in 1967. The core is to impose obligations on governments and companies engaged in space development to directly suppress and clean up space debris generated by space industry activities.

Regarding this, Professor Freeland emphasized, "The future of humanity ultimately depends on whether we advance into space," adding, "Encouraging countries and companies to develop technologies to clean up space debris and legally mandating such responsibilities will be key to creating a safe and sustainable space industry."