Space may seem infinite, but it looks like things are getting a little crowded in low Earth orbit. Michael Nicolls, Starlink’s Vice President of Engineering, announced in a social media post that a Starlink satellite almost collided with a recently launched Chinese satellite. Nine satellites were reportedly launched last week from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in China, Nicolls writes, and it appears the satellites’ orbits weren’t coordinated with other space agencies. As a result, one Starlink satellite at an altitude of ~350 miles passed one of the new satellites at a distance of ~650 feet. Way too close for comfort. When satellite operators do not share ephemeris for their satellites, dangerously close approaches can occur in space.   A few days ago, 9 satellites were deployed from a launch from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Northwestern China. As far as we know, no coordination or… — Michael Nicolls (@michaelnicollsx) December 13, 2025 The nearly 9,000 Starlink satellites that are currently in orbit often perform maneuvers to avoid other satellites in low orbit, with 144,404 such maneuvers in the six month period up to the end of May 2025. However, in order to plan these maneuvers, information on other active satellites is needed. The Chinese space company CAS Space, which was responsible for the launch of the new satellites, said on social media that it’s investigating the situation and will provide assistance.