China may be launching satellite-destroying technology into space, experts say
The capability of China’s most recent “practice” satellite remains unknown, but experts say it could be dangerous for the U.S. and other Chinese adversaries.
The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp, a state-run space company, indicated the successful launch of Shijian-21 from Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China on Oct. 24. The state-run company also provided purported pictures of the spacecraft.
The satellite is the latest in a series of launches, which are mostly intended to demonstrate the country’s advancements in space technology, according to SpaceNews.
The State Council of the People’s Republic of China confirmed Shijian-21 will “carry out technological tests for space debris management,” but experts argue the Chinese series of “practice” satellites are more than just a display of the country’s civil space capabilities. They also worry this most recent satellite could spell dangerous implications for China’s adversaries.
Air Force Gen. James Dickinson, leader of the U.S. Space Command, warned congress that "Space-based robotic arm technology could be used in a future system for grappling other satellites." In his testimony, Dickinson indicated that an earlier "practice" satellite launched within the same series of satellites as Shijian-21 had this type of technology.
The Center for Strategic and International Studies detected unusual orbital maneuvers from the same rocket identified by Dickinson during his testimony. U.S. intelligence also detected unusual behavior from a second satellite within the Shijian series, as well as two other satellites that were launched but were not part of the same series. No judgments appear to have been reported about Shijian'21's orbital movements.
“In the space domain, we see [China’s] capabilities from direct ascent, anti-satellite capabilities to on-orbit activity that they've done with that capability,” Dickinson said during testimony to the House Armed Services Committee.
Space security analyst Michael J. Listner reportedly said identifying the capabilities of China’s spacecraft is frequently difficult since there is often a dual-use nature to space technology. “Technology that has peaceful uses can be used for non-peaceful uses,” Listner said, according to the Times.
Former imagery intelligence analyst and retired Indian Colonel Vinayak Bhat said, according to the Times, that if Shijian-21 indeed has robotic arm technology it “would most certainly be used as a space weapon to capture and disable/destroy enemy satellites.”
