Sébastien le Belzic, with Mélanie Faure
Tensions are high between China and Elon Musk. The Chinese authorities accuse the American Tesla of not respecting international space law and endangering the astronauts of the Tiangong space station. The reason ? Threats of collisions in a coveted area.
It is a real call for a boycott. China accuses Elon Musk of endangering its space station. And for good reason: two satellites of billionaire Elon Musk narrowly failed, according to Beijing, to collide with Tiangong, according to a report submitted to the Office for Outer Space Affairs of the United Nations (United Nations Organization). The Tesla brand, very popular in China and owned by Elon Musk, could bear the brunt of this new quarrel. Chinese nationalist networks are shooting at him with red balls and even calling for a boycott of the car manufacturer.
The reason ? Her giant constellation Starlink which she believes leads to the risk of collision with Tiangong and thus with Chinese astronauts.
China denounces “non-compliance” with international space law
Beijing, for its part, prefers to directly attack Washington, which is accused of being responsible for the chaos in space. Zhao Lyjian, spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, evokes a gray area. “The United States should respect international space law and take immediate measures to prevent such incidents from recurring and adopt a responsible attitude to preserve the safety of astronauts in space,” said Zhao Lyjian.
Elon Musk’s Space X has launched more than 15,100 satellites that have dramatically increased the movement of objects in space, risking accidents like those mentioned by Beijing. China is leading its own race for the stars on its own with several missions to the Moon, Mars and even Jupiter.