by Xinhua  February 14, 2022 in Technology News

新华网 2022年2月14日科技新闻

 

China has stated the United States is in no position to unilaterally set thresholds for emergency collision after the US rejected the charge its Starlink satellites endangered China’s space station.

在美国拒绝承认其星链卫星危及中国空间站的指责后，中国已表示，美国无法单方面设定紧急碰撞的阈值。

 

Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian made the remarks at a daily news briefing on Thursday, saying such rhetoric by the US did not show a responsible attitude as a major country strong in aerospace.

外交部发言人赵立坚在周四的每日新闻发布会上发表上述言论，称美国的这种言论没有显示出作为航空航天大国的负责任态度。

 

Washington, in an official note verbale to the United Nations Office of Outer Space Affairs in Vienna on Jan 28, asserted the activities of the Starlink satellites “did not meet the threshold of established emergency collision criteria and emergency notifications were not warranted in either case.”

华盛顿在1月28日给维也纳联合国外层空间事务办公室的一份正式普通照会中声称，星链卫星的活动“没有达到既定紧急碰撞标准的门槛，在这两种情况下都没有必要发出紧急通知”

 

China’s permanent mission to the UN submitted a note verbale to the UN Secretary-General for safety reasons in December, saying Starlink satellites launched by SpaceX, a US company, have had two close encounters with the Chinese space station, which constituted a danger to the life and health of astronauts.

12月，中国常驻联合国代表团出于安全原因向联合国秘书长提交了一份普通照会，称美国SpaceX（太空探索技术公司）发射的星链卫星与中国空间站进行了两次近距离接触，这对宇航员的生命和健康构成了威胁。

 

Zhao said China’s submitting relevant information to the UN was done to fulfill international obligations stipulated in the article 5 of the Outer Space Treaty.

赵立坚说，中国向联合国提交相关信息是为了履行《外层空间条约》第五条规定的国际义务。

 

As per the article, states parties to the treaty shall immediately inform other state parties or the UN Secretary-General of any phenomena they discover in outer space which could constitute a danger to the life or health of astronauts.

根据该条款，条约缔约国应立即将其在外层空间发现的可能对宇航员生命或健康构成危险的任何现象通知其他缔约国或联合国秘书长。

 

Zhao noted in the incidents of preventative collision avoidance, the US Starlink satellites were maneuvering continuously in orbit at an unspecified course.

赵立坚指出，在预防性避碰事件中，美国星链卫星在轨道上以未指明的路线连续机动。

 

“Chinese astronauts in orbit face real and urgent safety threats and China has to take preventative collision avoidance control,” Zhao said.

“在轨道上的中国宇航员面临着现实而紧迫的安全威胁，中国必须采取预防性的避碰控制，”赵立坚说。

 

As to Washington’s claim Beijing didn’t use available channels to voice its concerns and seek to resolve them prior to the note to the Secretary-General, Zhao said China had tried multiple times to reach the US side by e-mail but received no reply.

对于华盛顿方面称北京没有在给秘书长的照会之前通过现有渠道表达关切并寻求解决问题，赵立坚说，中国曾多次尝试通过电子邮件联系美方，但未收到回复。 

 

Article 9 of the Treaty states in the exploration and use of outer space, including the Moon and other celestial bodies, states party to the treaty shall be guided by the principle of cooperation and mutual assistance.

条约第9条规定，在探索和利用包括月球和其他天体在内的外层空间时，条约缔约国应遵循合作与互助的原则。

 

They shall also conduct all their activities in outer space with due regard to the corresponding interests of all other parties to the treaty.

它们还应在适当顾及条约所有其他缔约国相应利益的情况下，在外层空间开展所有活动。

 

China has registered information about the space station with the UN, and released the parameters about the orbit of the Chinese space station on the website, Zhao said.

赵立坚说，中国已经向联合国登记了空间站的信息，并在网站上公布了中国空间站的轨道参数。

 

To safeguard the safety of China’s astronauts and space stations, Zhao said China stands ready to work with the US to establish long-term effective communication mechanisms.

为了保障中国宇航员和空间站的安全，赵立坚表示，中国愿意与美国合作，建立长期有效的沟通机制。

 

He also expressed hopes the US would take concrete measures to avoid a reoccurrence of the incidents.

他还表示希望美方采取具体措施，避免事件再次发生。

 

“China hopes all countries respect the international system of outer space underpinned by international law to jointly safeguard astronauts’ life safety, and secure and stable operation of space facilities,” he added.

“中国希望各国尊重以国际法为基础的国际外层空间体系，共同维护航天员生命安全，保障航天设施安全稳定运行，”他补充道。