An unusual orbital encounter has led to a striking image of a SpaceX Starlink satellite appearing in a high-resolution photo of a secret Chinese military airbase.
On 21 August, one of SpaceX’s broadband-beaming Starlink satellites passed directly through the view of a private American Earth-observation satellite photographing Dingxin Airbase in the Gobi Desert of western China. The rare alignment created unique visual effects in the image.
The picture, taken by a WorldView Legion satellite orbiting at 312 miles altitude, shows fighter jets parked near a runway against the desert landscape. In the upper-left corner, a faint oblong figure with a bright centre and two darker arms can be seen — the result of the Starlink satellite crossing paths at the exact moment of capture.
The satellite was identified as Starlink spacecraft number 33828. Its presence created rainbow-like reflections on the surface below, described by experts as a “pan-sharpening spectral artifact.” This happens when high-resolution black-and-white data and colour data are combined while another satellite moves past at extremely high speeds of nearly 8 kilometres per second.
“Physics turned a technical imaging challenge into accidental art,” wrote an executive who shared the image on social media. They explained that while the event highlights how busy near-Earth space has become, capturing another satellite in this way remains an extraordinary rarity.
“Capturing another satellite like this in an Earth-observation image is extremely rare,” the executive added. “In this case, a Starlink satellite happened to pass through our field of view at just the right moment while our sensors were mid-collection — an extraordinary alignment, given the vastness of space and the fact that we were travelling at an astonishing relative velocity of about 1,400 metres per second.”
Starlink, operated by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, has previously drawn criticism from astronomers. Reflections from its thousands of low-Earth orbit satellites create streaks across telescope images, disrupting large surveys such as those from the Vera Rubin Observatory in Chile. The satellites also affect radio astronomy, as their internal electronics can interfere with sensitive radio frequencies even when the internet beams are switched off.
With more than 8,300 active satellites already in orbit, experts in space sustainability have raised concerns about the growing risk of collisions and operational complexities. While Earth-observation satellites are not currently impacted, specialists warn that the continued rise in low-Earth orbit traffic could pose future challenges.
“The ‘crowded’ space domain is not just about collision avoidance anymore — it is about understanding how these overlapping capabilities create both opportunities and complexities for mission planning,” the executive noted. “That is why integrated space domain awareness is not just nice to have anymore — it is foundational to mission success.”
Dingxin Airbase, the location captured in the image, is one of China’s most secretive military facilities. It is used for advanced fighter jet drills, bomber exercises and the testing of new military drones.
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