Elon Musk has rejected claims that his Starlink satellite internet project is taking up too much room in space.

“Tens of billions” of satellites can be accommodated in orbits close to Earth, he told the Financial Times.

His comments come after a claim by the head of the European Space Agency (ESA) that Mr Musk was “making the rules” for the emerging commercial space industry.

This week, China complained that its space station was forced to avoid collisions with Starlink satellites.

“Space is just extremely enormous, and satellites are very tiny,” Mr Musk said in the interview.

Mr Musk pushed back at suggestions that his Starlink Internet Services project was effectively obstructing the entry of competitors to the satellite industry, saying that there is ample room in the Earth’s orbit for satellites.

-BBC