China and USA Lay Groundwork for LEO Traffic Control After Near Collision

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This week, the Chinese National Space Agency (CNSA) and NASA coordinated for the first time to avoid a collision in what could be the first steps toward building a space-based flight control system. As satellite megaconstellations crowd low Earth Orbit, this kind of collaboration will likely become increasingly necessary in the coming years.

Although various nations have maintained a presence in space for the better part of 70 years, communication between them hasn't always been the best. They certainly don't like to reveal the location or purpose of their space-bound assets to one another. But that may be starting to change.

This week, CSNA contacted NASA about a potential in-orbit collision between two satellites. The message read: "We would like to recommend you hold still and we'll do the maneuver," Alvin Drew, NASA's space sustainability director, said at a space sustainability panel on Thursday.

https://www.extremetech.com/aerospace/china-and-usa-lay-groundwork-for-leo-traffic-control-after-near-collision