US Says SpaceX Wasn't Collision Risk to Chinese Space Station

Noting Chinese complaints about close calls between its space station and SpaceX satellites (see 2112270053), the U.S. told the U.N. secretary-general that Space Command doesn't think there was a significant probability of collision. In a letter dated Jan. 28 and publicly posted this week, the U.S. said if there had been a significant collision probability, it would have given China a close-approach notification, but in this case such emergency notifications "weren't warranted." The U.S. said as far as it knows, China never tried to contact SpaceCommand, SpaceX or any other U.S. entity to share information or concerns before lodging the complaint with the U.N. The U.S. urged "efficient and timely sharing of information and coordination" to reduce the risk of collision between U.S. space objects and human spaceflight activities of other nations.