Peter Elliott
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Lives in Christchurch, Canterbury, New Zealand (1959–present)Wed
The Chinese government is claiming that its space station had near collisions with 2 different Starlink satellites. Since the Starlink satellites are not supposed to be at the same altitude as the Chinese space station, how is this possible?
The FCC (part of the US government) cleared the Starlink satellites to orbit lower. Exactly where the Chinese space station was orbiting in fact.

“With the commission’s approval, SpaceX will now operate its first 4,408 satellites at altitudes between 335 miles and 354 miles, instead of flying more than 2,800 of the spacecraft in orbits as high as 800 miles, or 1,300 kilometers, above Earth.”

SpaceX launches 60 more Starlink spacecraft; FCC clears SpaceX to fly satellites at lower altitudes
VIDEO  SpaceX deployed 60 more Starlink internet-beaming spacecraft into orbit after a fiery late-night blastoff of a Falcon 9 rocket Wednesday night from Cape Canaveral, surpassing the 1,500-satellite mark since Starlink launches began. Another
Falcon 9 rocket is scheduled to haul the next batch of Starlink satellites to space next week. The launch of the newest 60 Starlink satellites came soon after the Federal Communications Commission on Tuesday approved a SpaceX request to fly the rest of
the company’s near-term Starlink spacecraft at lower altitudes. SpaceX deployed the 60 quarter-ton Starlink satellites about an hour after they lifted off from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Station at 11:44 p.m. EDT Wednesday (0344 GMT) Thursday. The
229-foot-tall (70-meter) Falcon 9 rocket soared into a clear night sky over Florida’s Space Coast, blazing a trail to the northeast over the Atlantic Ocean to align with the Starlink network’s orbital geometry. Nine kerosene-fed Merlin 1D engines on
the Falcon 9’s first stage booster produced 1.7 million pounds of thrust in the first two-and-a-half minutes of flight. Then the Falcon 9’s booster shut down and separated, beginning maneuvers aided by cold gas thrusters, grid fins, and engine retro-
burns to land on SpaceX’s drone ship “Just Read the Instructions” in the Atlantic Ocean a few hundred miles east of Charleston, South Carolina. The reusable booster’s on-target landing concluded the rocket’s seventh trip to space and back since
debuting last June. It was the 81st successful recovery of a Falcon rocket booster since SpaceX’s first rocket landing in 2015. The Falcon 9 rocket’s second stage engine continued the mission into orbit, delivering the 60 Starlink payloads to a
preliminary parking orbit less than 10 minutes into the mission. After soaring across the Atlantic, traversing Europe and the Middle East, and flying over the Indian Ocean, the second stage’s single Merlin engine reignited for a brief one-second firing
to nudge the Starlink satellites into the proper orbit for separation. The stack of 60 Starlink satellites, which weighed some 34,400 pounds (15.6 metric tons) on the launch pad, flew free of the rocket at 12:49 a.m. EDT (0449 GMT), wrapping up SpaceX’
s 115th Falcon 9 launch since 2010, and the 12th this year. SpaceX is gearing up for another launch next week carrying the next group of Starlink satellites. A Falcon 9 rocket is scheduled for liftoff from pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center next
Tuesday, May 4, at 3:01 p.m. EDT (1901 GMT). A Falcon 9 rocket climbs away from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station with 60 more Starlink internet satellites. Credit: SpaceX The flat-panel satellites, built on SpaceX’s Starlink assembly line
in Redmond, Washington, will unfurl their solar panels and switch on krypton ion thrusters to begin raising their orbits from their deployment altitude of 180 miles (291 kilometers) to join the rest of the Starlink constellation at 341 miles (550 kilom
https://spaceflightnow.com/2021/04/29/spacex-launches-60-more-starlink-spacecraft-fcc-clears-spacex-to-fly-satellites-at-lower-altitudes/#:~:text=With%20the%20commission's%20approval%2C%20SpaceX,or%201%2C300%20kilometers%2C%20above%20Earth.
Was this deliberate or just incompetence you have to ask.

It’s not just a Chinese claim by the way. It was observed by American Astronomer.

“Astronomer and leading orbit watcher Jonathan McDowell said Monday on Twitter that he confirmed that the near misses and evasive maneuvers described by China did take place as described.”

China's space station has had to dodge SpaceX Starlink satellites twice
The country tells the United Nations it had to make evasive maneuvers to avoid Elon Musk's orbiting routers in July and October.
https://www.cnet.com/news/chinas-space-station-had-to-dodge-spacex-starlink-satellites-twice-in-2021/
If one of these hits the space station it’s game over for the station and all the people in it. This is a criminal act and China is quite right to complain to the UN.

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