Chinese Satellite/Anti-Satellite Expansion Could Be Serious Threat To US
April 01, 2014 | Darrell Gleason
According to a report published this week by the South China Morning Post, scientists working on the project say the Chinese government may build and launch more than 50 orbiting satellites.
China began seriously considering the project after the mysterious disappearance of Malaysian Airlines Flight 370 on March 8. Chinese frustration over the search for the missing aircraft reportedly led the satellite project to receive strong backing from leading decision makers in Beijing.
Professor Liu Yu, a remote-sensing expert at Peking University’s school of earth and space sciences, called the project an “almost incredible ambition” for the Chinese government. He said that if the Chinese decide to move forward, it would be a game changer for China and its ability to carry out observation from space.
Such a move would give the China the ability to monitor the entire plant and place their satellite surveillance network on par, or even larger than that of the United States.
The news comes as a separate report this week said there is evidence that a Chinese rocket launched in May 2013 was a test of a new anti-satellite weapon. The Chinese had billed the launch as a research mission.
“If true, this would represent a significant development in China’s anti-satellite capabilities,” said Brian Weeden, a former U.S. Air Force space analyst, who now serves as a technical advisor for Secure World Foundation, a Colorado-based non-profit. He said no other country has tested a direct anti-satellite weapon that has such capabilities.
Such counterpace weaponry is being developed by China to limit U.S. joint warfighting that currently is very reliant on satellites for communications and the maneuvering forces over long distances. Satellite dependence by the US military has often been described by analysts as our achilles heel.
The news comes as a separate report this week said there is evidence that a Chinese rocket launched in May 2013 was a test of a new anti-satellite weapon. The Chinese had billed the launch as a research mission.
“If true, this would represent a significant development in China’s anti-satellite capabilities,” said Brian Weeden, a former U.S. Air Force space analyst, who now serves as a technical advisor for Secure World Foundation, a Colorado-based non-profit. He said no other country has tested a direct anti-satellite weapon that has such capabilities.
Such counterpace weaponry is being developed by China to limit U.S. joint warfighting that currently is very reliant on satellites for communications and the maneuvering forces over long distances. Satellite dependence by the US military has often been described by analysts as our achilles heel.
It is doubtful a collaborative arrangement can be reached with China on conduct in space because Beijing recognizes that U.S. military operations are far more reliant on space. Thus U.S. military advantages can be neutralized by Chinese attacks on U.S. satellites. Future attacks on U.S. satellites would give China asymmetric military advantages that the Chinese are not likely to give up through diplomacy.
Robert L. Butterworth, a former chief of strategic planning at Air Force Space Command, said "China is seeking to determine what U.S. satellites to kill, and in the future may covertly place sensors in space near key U.S. strategic satellites to assist in targeting for future attacks".
Many U.S. war plans currently assume military satellites will be functioning normally in a future conflict. Butterworth warned that strategic planners must now prepare for the loss of satellites as Chinese space weaponry advances. China and the United States are engaged in a “long term military competition,” and China regards neutralizing U.S. satellites as a key warfighting priority warned Butterworth.
Many U.S. war plans currently assume military satellites will be functioning normally in a future conflict. Butterworth warned that strategic planners must now prepare for the loss of satellites as Chinese space weaponry advances. China and the United States are engaged in a “long term military competition,” and China regards neutralizing U.S. satellites as a key warfighting priority warned Butterworth.
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