US and China prepare for space warfare with hunter satellites and orbital weapons
Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.
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- A secretive Chinese spaceplane released a satellite that reportedly maneuvered around another Chinese satellite before returning toward the spaceplane.
- Reuters found that Chinese military-linked researchers are developing technologies to pursue, capture and refuel spacecraft, while the United States and Britain conducted a joint operation near a suspected Chinese spy satellite.
- Officials and experts warn that attacks on space systems could disrupt communications, navigation, surveillance and missile defense as orbit becomes more crowded.
A secretive Chinese spaceplane recently released a small satellite hundreds of miles above Earth, where the object monitored and looped around another Chinese satellite before moving back toward the spaceplane, according to the US space-tracking company LeoLabs.
Little is known about the satellite or its mission. But the activity offers a glimpse of how military operations in orbit are changing as the United States and China prepare for the possibility that a future conflict could extend into space. Both countries operate highly secretive, uncrewed spaceplanes. Reuters reviewed documents, space-tracking data and interviews with current and former military officials in examining the competition.
The Chinese are rapidly developing capabilities
Chinese researchers linked to the military are working on satellites designed to pursue and potentially capture other spacecraft. They are also studying systems that could extend a spacecraft’s fuel supply during such operations, according to patent documents, procurement notices and academic papers reviewed by Reuters. The United States and Britain have meanwhile carried out their first joint military operation in space near the path of a suspected Chinese spy satellite, commercial tracking data showed.
substantial
“The Chinese are rapidly developing capabilities,” including ground- and space-based weapons intended to interfere with or destroy targets, US Space Force Chief of Space Operations General Chance Saltzman said in July. Saltzman, who is retiring, described the threat from China as “substantial.”
Satellites have long provided communications, navigation and intelligence for forces on Earth. Militaries increasingly view them as active weapons platforms that can jam or blind other satellites with lasers, or capture enemy spacecraft. Former US Air Force Air War College professor Everett Dolman said disrupting American space capabilities would “cripple our massive military in the terrestrial sphere,” affecting surveillance and missile defense. Spaceplanes can maneuver, deploy satellites and carry cargo, making them appear to adversaries as possible “space fighters.”
cripple our massive military in the terrestrial sphere
The rivalry is unfolding as orbit grows more congested. SpaceX operates about 11,000 Starlink satellites and plans a constellation of larger, artificial-intelligence-enabled data centers in space. China is building competing networks, while President Donald Trump’s Golden Dome missile-defense program envisions space-based interceptors.
space fighters
About this summary
Originally published by Daily Star in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.
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