From the trade war to space war. No, we are not talking about the X chapter of the "Star Wars" saga, but about a new front of tension that has opened up between the United States and China. A few hours ago, Beijing blamed Washington for what happened a few months ago in space, even speaking of irresponsible and dangerous conduct following two "close encounters" between the Chinese space station and the satellites of the Starlink company led by the number one of Tesla and SpaceX, Elon Musk
In detail, according to what we read in a note delivered in December by the Beijing government to the UN space agency, in July and October, the new Chinese space station - the Tiangong - under construction since April was forced to carry out two emergency maneuvers for avoid collision with satellites of the future Starlink Internet service. Starlink is in fact a division of Space X, which deals with the management of nearly 2.000 satellites that intend to offer Internet access globally.
The accidents, underlined the Chinese note, "endangers the life or health of the astronauts on board the Chinese Space Station". According to Chinese Foreign Minister Zhao Lijian, “the United States… ignores its obligations under international treaties, placing a serious threat to the life and safety of astronauts“. China therefore urges the US to behave "responsibly" in outer space.
According to China, although SpaceX is a private company, members of the 'Outer Space Treaty' – the foundation of international space law – are also responsible for the actions of their non-governmental entities. For his part, SpaceX did not respond to a request for comment on the issue, generating strong discontent among Chinese internet users who, through the Weiboo social network, are launching heavy accusations against Musk, promising repercussions also on Tesla. The electric car company sells about a quarter of its production in China and has a factory in Shanghai.
