In brief: Elon Musk has divided opinion, with most people seeming to either love him or hate him. Information technology seems the billionaire certainly isn't China's favorite person. The country has complained to the UN over claims that SpaceX Starlink satellites almost crashed into its space station twice in the past year.

According to a document submitted by Prc this calendar month to the United Nations Office for Outer Infinite Affairs, the land'southward infinite station was forced to deploy prevention collision avoidance command measures in July and October to avert colliding with Starlink satellites.

"China wishes to asking the secretary general of the Un to circulate the in a higher place-mentioned information to all states parties to the Outer Infinite Treaty," the report reads.

SpaceX has launched over ane,600 satellites into low-world orbit to enable the Starlink service that beams downwardly internet connectivity to remote areas. The visitor plans to have between 12,000 and 42,000 satellites in the coming years and has already received permission from the The states Federal Communications Commission to launch up to 12,000.

Users of the Chinese microblogging site Weibo have reacted to news of the complaint with acrimony directed at Musk, SpaceX, and the US in general. The BBC notes that some take called the satellites "American infinite warfare weapons," adding that "Musk is a new 'weapon' created by the Usa government and war machine."

"The risks of Starlink are being gradually exposed, the whole homo race will pay for their business activities," wrote another.

Only China doesn't accept a spotless past when it comes to near misses in space. Jonathan McDowell, an astrophysicist at the Harvard-Smithsonian Heart for Astrophysics, told The Guardian that "Information technology is as well fair to say that the US space station has several times over the past ten years had to dodge pieces from the Chinese armed services anti-satellite exam of 2007. It's non like the Chinese had a clean record hither. The biggest debris event ever was the Chinese anti-satellite test."

SpaceX has yet to annotate on the matter.

Dec has been an eventful month for Musk. Not only was he named Fourth dimension's person of the twelvemonth, but the CEO also said he would pay over $eleven billion in taxes this yr, more than any American in history.