Starlink claims Chinese launch came within 200 meters of broadband satellite

Steven

Starlink claims Chinese launch came within 200 meters of broadband satellite

Summary

Starlink (SpaceX) says a recent Chinese commercial launch from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center deployed nine satellites and one of them came within about 200 metres of a Starlink spacecraft at roughly 560 km altitude. A Starlink engineering vice-president criticised the lack of coordination or deconfliction between operators and said the close approach highlights broader risks as low Earth orbit gets busier.

The article also runs through several Asia-focused briefs: Australian border agents found drugs concealed in ink cartridges and other parcels; Microsoft and Amazon pledged more than $50 billion of AI-related investment in India; the CEO of Korean e-tailer Coupang resigned after a massive data breach affecting over 30 million customers; GreatFire.org accused hosting firm Vultr of deplatforming its anti-censorship site at Tencent’s request; and Asia’s bishops debated AI, with one calling it a divine gift while warning of harms such as deepfakes.

Key Points

  • Starlink reports a Chinese-launched satellite came within approximately 200 metres of STARLINK-6079 at 560 km altitude.
  • The launch was reported to have come from Jiuquan and involved nine satellites; Starlink alleges there was no coordination with existing operators.
  • Space traffic management and operator coordination remain weak, increasing collision and mission-risk concerns in crowded low Earth orbit.
  • Australian authorities uncovered heroin and cocaine smuggled in parcels disguised as everyday items, including ink cartridges.
  • Microsoft and Amazon announced over $50 billion in AI and cloud investments for India, accelerating regional infrastructure and services.
  • Coupang’s CEO resigned after a data breach exposing personal information of over 30 million customers; interim leadership was named and security reviews promised.
  • GreatFire.org alleges Vultr deplatformed its FreeWeChat site following complaints linked to Tencent, raising free-speech and censorship concerns.
  • Religious leaders in Asia discussed AI’s moral dimensions — recognising benefits but warning about misinformation, deepfakes and opaque algorithms.

Content Summary

Starlink’s executive statement draws attention to a near-miss in low Earth orbit that, if accurate, emphasises how quickly congestion and uncoordinated launches can create dangerous situations for operational satellites. The claim points to a persistent gap: launches and satellite deployments are often not sufficiently coordinated with existing operators, meaning close approaches — and potential collisions — become more likely.

The rest of the column is a concise regional roundup: law enforcement using parcel forensics to intercept drugs; major cloud and AI capital commitments to India from Microsoft and Amazon; a major corporate fallout in South Korea after a large-scale data breach; accusations of cross-border censorship involving a US cloud provider and a China-focused anti-censorship group; plus a Vatican-linked discussion in Asia framing AI as both opportunity and risk.

Context and Relevance

This matters because low Earth orbit is getting crowded and near-misses can quickly lead to debris-generating collisions that threaten many satellites and services. The piece underlines the need for improved space traffic coordination, better norms or regulations for launches, and clearer communication among commercial and state actors.

For readers tracking geopolitics, tech policy or space operations, the story connects to larger trends: commercialisation of space, national space programmes, and the challenge of building international systems to manage shared domains. The other briefs are relevant to regional security, digital infrastructure investment, corporate governance after breaches, and online censorship debates.

Why should I read this?

Short answer: because a 200-metre near-miss in orbit isn’t just a scary headline — it’s a proper warning bell. If you care about satellite services, space safety, or the policy around who gets to put things into orbit, this saves you digging through multiple sources. Plus there’s a neat grab-bag of Asia tech news — dodgy parcel smuggling, massive AI money for India, a big data-breach resignation, and censorship rows — all worth a quick skim.

Author style

Punchy. The lead item is flagged as a serious operational and policy failure; the rest of the roundup is presented briskly so you can get the headlines and move on.

Source

Source: https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2025/12/15/asia_tech_news_roundup/