SpaceX publicly criticised satellite operators that do not share orbital information as near-collision risks between Starlink satellites and other satellites continue to occur.

Business Insider reported on Oct. 7 that SpaceX said in a blog post on Oct. 6 that if other operators manoeuvre without sharing predicted satellite orbits, it could increase collision risk in low Earth orbit (LEO). SpaceX currently operates about 11,000 Starlink satellites.

SpaceX said Starlink has faced potential close-approach situations this year with about 650 other satellites. About half of those cases involved counterpart satellites that did not share location information. In August, one Starlink satellite came as close as 134 metres to another satellite. When the other satellite changed direction without notice, the Starlink satellite avoided collision by rotating its solar array into a blade-like orientation.

In October 2025, another satellite changed orbit, narrowing the distance with a Starlink satellite to as little as 57 metres. SpaceX stressed that if other operators do not share predicted orbits, including propulsion manoeuvres, collision risk cannot be properly mitigated.

SpaceX said Starlink recorded about 164,000 potential close-approach situations over the past six months. Not all cases were high risk, but it said collision risk can rise because it becomes difficult to accurately track the other satellite's movement when precise orbital information is not shared after unannounced manoeuvres. The company said it informed other operators of problems in the collision-risk assessment process, and said some operators only became aware of the issues after SpaceX notified them.

Collision risks from congestion in low Earth orbit are also an issue for which SpaceX has faced criticism. SpaceX has said it would adjust the positions of about 4,400 Starlink satellites in January this year to reduce collision risks. It also said that many of the satellites that came close to Starlink this year but did not share orbital information were launched from China.

China also raised the issue with the United Nations in 2021, saying two Starlink satellites nearly collided with its Tiangong space station. SpaceX is pursuing plans to expand Starlink to up to 100,000 satellites and operate an orbital data centre for up to 1 million satellites.