Reuters: US and China Arm for Space Warfare With Hunter Satellites and Orbital Weapons
China and the United States are expanding satellites that can inspect, pursue and interfere with other spacecraft, while allies test closer orbital operations.
- The United States and China are rapidly militarizing Earth's orbit by deploying maneuverable 'hunter' satellites and space-based weapons designed to interfere with or destroy targets.
- China's official military newspaper, PLA Daily, framed space control as essential for national security in 2022, while U.S. Space Force Chief of Space Operations General Chance Saltzman warned Chinese capabilities are 'substantial' and rapidly advancing.
- In June, an unmanned Chinese spaceplane released a satellite that performed proximity loops around another craft, according to space-tracking firm LeoLabs; Chinese satellites have demonstrated synchronized 'dogfighting' maneuvers.
- During a joint operation last September, U.S. forces directed a military satellite to swoop near a U.K. satellite; Andrew Turner, a retired British air force officer, called it 'almost certainly a strategic signal to China.'
- U.S. Space Command head General Stephen Whiting argues the military must adopt an active warfighting posture, deploying ground-based electromagnetic weapons from L3Harris Technologies to strike hostile assets if deterrence fails.
19 Articles
19 Articles
China Is Testing Satellites That Can Chase Other Spacecraft. The US Is Building Its Own Countermeasures.
Washington has deployed new electromagnetic warfare equipment and is testing spacecraft that can respond quickly to threats in orbit as military competition extends beyond Earth.
China-US space race intensifies as satellites evolve into potential ‘space weapons’
In June, a secretive unmanned Chinese spaceplane closely monitored by U.S. military analysts released a small satellite hundreds of miles above Earth in an orbital region crowded with commercial and military satellites. The object then looped around another Chinese satellite before returning towards the spaceplane, according to U.S. spacetracking firm LeoLabs.
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US, China arm for space warfare: hunter satellites and orbital weapons
In June, a secretive unmanned Chinese spaceplane closely monitored by U.S. military analysts released a small satellite hundreds of miles above Earth in an orbital region crowded with commercial and... -September 02, 2026 at 06:05 am EDT MarketScreener
New orbital maneuvers, spaceplanes and satellite approach technologies are expanding the military rivalry between the US and China. The observed movements are real, while the characterization of specific vessels as weapons remains an assessment. The article US–China – Satellite “hunters” take the rivalry to orbit appeared first on FLIGHT.
The great powers are turning satellite orbit into an active battleground | Satellites are maneuvering, attacking and trying to capture each other in orbit | Despite the treaty banning warfare in space and its being an international arena, the countries involved in the conquest of space continue the shadow war | The consequences for civilian life are catastrophic (Kikar Magazine)
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- 62% of the sources are Center
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