--- title: European Satellite Moves to Avoid SpaceX Collision description: The ESA fired the thrusters on an Earth observation satellite to avoid a potential collision with one of SpaceX’s Starlink satellites. canonical: https://time.com/5667047/spacex-satellite-collision/ author: TIME article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2019-09-02T18:16:44.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-24T07:17:18.557Z article:section: Science og:title: A European Satellite Had to Fire Thrusters to Avoid Colliding With a SpaceX Satellite og:description: Such maneuvers are expected to become more common as more small satellites are launched og:url: https://time.com/5667047/spacex-satellite-collision/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt798fca922a1034b5/698a024f16d88492b7c36e7e/spacex-satellite.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: SpaceX Satellite og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: A European Satellite Had to Fire Thrusters to Avoid Colliding With a SpaceX Satellite twitter:description: Such maneuvers are expected to become more common as more small satellites are launched twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt798fca922a1034b5/698a024f16d88492b7c36e7e/spacex-satellite.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # A European Satellite Had to Fire Thrusters to Avoid Colliding With a SpaceX Satellite > Sponsored content. 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It reaches 40,000 subscribers with a 34.2% open rate and a 2.1% click rate as of August 2026. #### Where can I follow the energy transition as a business story? Future Proof covers climate and energy as an economic and business story rather than only an environmental one. It publishes every Friday and is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Who writes Future Proof? Justin Worland, a senior correspondent at TIME and an award-winning climate journalist, writes Future Proof. #### Is Future Proof free? Yes. Future Proof is free at time.com/newsletters. by [Craig Trudell / Bloomberg](https://time.com/author/bloomberg/) ## Craig Trudell / Bloomberg Contributor Sep 2, 2019 6:16 PM UTC  A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches from Vandenberg Air Force Base carrying the SAOCOM 1A and ITASAT 1 satellites, as seen during a long exposure on October 7, 2018 near Santa Barbara, California. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches from Vandenberg Air Force Base carrying the SAOCOM 1A and ITASAT 1 satellites, as seen during a long exposure on October 7, 2018 near Santa Barbara, California. David McNew—Getty Images by [Craig Trudell / Bloomberg](https://time.com/author/bloomberg/) ## Craig Trudell / Bloomberg Contributor Sep 2, 2019 6:16 PM UTC Three months after Elon Musk’s SpaceX launched the first set of what will be a broadband-providing constellation of satellites, other operators are already veering to keep their own spacecraft out of harm’s way. The European Space Agency tweeted Monday that it fired the thrusters on its Earth observation satellite [Aeolus](https://www.esa.int/Our%5FActivities/Observing%5Fthe%5FEarth/Aeolus/Introducing%5FAeolus) to avoid a potential collision with one of SpaceX’s Starlink satellites. The Musk-led company launched the first 60 of its satellites in May, [getting a jump](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-05-15/musk-gets-jump-start-on-bezos-launching-spacex-s-own-satellites) on fellow billionaire Jeff Bezos’s Amazon.com Inc., which is pursuing a similar endeavor called Project Kuiper. While the ESA said this is the first time it’s performed a collision-avoidance maneuver to protect one of its satellites from colliding with a constellation, they’re poised to become so common that using a manual process will be impossible. The agency [said in a tweet](https://twitter.com/esaoperations/status/1168540912282165248) that it’s preparing to automate avoidance maneuvers using artificial intelligence. 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