SpaceX Starlink satellite narrowly avoids collision with new spacecraft in orbit

Chinese Satellite Nearly Collides with SpaceX's Starlink in Orbit

A SpaceX internet satellite narrowly avoided a dangerous close encounter after a Chinese launch. The company calls for better coordination in space. Read more.

December 13, 2025, 09:43 GMT

One of SpaceX's Starlink internet satellites narrowly avoided a hazardous near-miss in orbit, according to a report from Space cited by our website.

The incident occurred following the launch of nine spacecraft aboard China's Kinetica-1 rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert.

SpaceX data indicates that one of the newly deployed satellites passed within a dangerously close 200 meters of the STARLINK-6079 (catalog number 56120) at an altitude of 560 kilometers.

"To our knowledge, no coordination or collision-avoidance measures were taken with the operational satellites already in orbit," said Michael Nichols, SpaceX's vice president of Starlink engineering. "Most of the risks in space stem from a lack of coordination between satellite operators—and that needs to change."

Earlier reports noted that a SpaceX rocket had successfully deployed South Korea's fifth reconnaissance satellite into orbit.