China’s increasing arsenal of anti-satellite weapons might cripple America’s military, so the U.S. is scrambling to strengthen its defenses miles above the Earth.
Specialized anti-satellite weapons disable, destroy, or disrupt Earth’s satellites. These weapons present a geopolitical dilemma as states compete for space supremacy, with recent advancements underscoring the US-China rivalry. (Source: Space.com)
China’s Aggressive Advancements
Defense Department officials and analysts say China is testing and developing weapons and systems that may kill, disable, or hijack U.S. satellites used for global operations. Recently, China has rapidly caught up to the U.S. in space. Experts say Beijing is launching more satellites and mastering capabilities the US possessed a decade ago. The Defense Intelligence Agency reported that China quadrupled its satellite fleet from 250 to 499 between 2019 and 2021. It also develops enhanced spy balloons and hypersonic weapons for near space, above most airplanes but below satellites. Defense sources say China successfully tested a satellite refueling tanker in recent weeks, a game-changing innovation that would allow Beijing to extend the life of satellites that would otherwise expire after running out of fuel. According to Dean Cheng of the Institute of Peace, an expert in China’s military space program, the Chinese are giving them a run for their money. The Pentagon is spending billions to defend against China’s space weapons, but much of it is secret.
NBC News visited United Launch Alliance’s massive rocket factory in Alabama to learn how to make U.S. satellites and other space systems less vulnerable to China and other adversaries. “We know when we’re threatened,” said United Launch Alliance CEO Tory Bruno, who makes several rockets that launch American military and intelligence satellites. Bruno noted that they must be able to neutralize that threat, either by moving out of the way, interfering with the threat, or maybe occupying an orbit that a Chinese attacking satellite would prefer. US space forces may encounter a Chinese spacecraft equipped with a robotic arm capable of yanking an adversary’s satellite out of orbit. Army Gen. James Dickinson, commander of U.S. Space Command, said the Chinese have tested the robotic arm and shown it can transfer a defunct satellite in and out of GEO orbitDickinson claims that last month during an event hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, they successfully launched the satellite outside the geopolitical orbit, dropped it off, and brought it back within a few days. According to Bruno, developers are developing satellites that can swiftly elude the robotic arm.
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Rising Stakes in Space Warfare
The Pentagon also wants to partner with the commercial sector to build smaller, cheaper satellites that can “flood the zone” and make it tougher for adversaries to target important satellites. Experts predict a U.S.-China war would certainly start in space. The US took its space dominance for granted for years. However, China’s military strategists realized that satellites were essential to the U.S. military’s global reach and maybe a weakness. Satellites provide U.S. military communication, navigation, intelligence gathering, and precision strike targets worldwide. The location, according to General Dickinson, is decisive and essential to the activities that they carry out daily. Defense experts claim China is developing ground- or space-launched missiles to destroy adversary satellites or base installations. Beijing is also creating terrestrial or space-based high-powered lasers to destroy enemy satellites. U.S. commanders fear China cyberattacking satellites to steal data or reroute them. China’s military space program specialist Cheng stated, “You deny the adversary information, or you give them false or fake information.” “You could tell the satellite, ‘deorbit, come crashing down’ and lose a billion dollars.”
A congressional investigation accused China of four hacks of two U.S. nonmilitary satellites in 2007 and 2008. U.S. officials wouldn’t reveal the Pentagon’s offensive space weaponry. Experts say both countries play cat-and-mouse with satellite moves to learn one other’s plans and capabilities. Washington is most concerned about China’s hypersonic maneuver missiles, which don’t follow a predictable trajectory like ballistic missiles. Hypersonic missiles, launched from rockets, may circle the Earth and hit a target while evading most ground-based air defenses. Satellites may be threatened by hypersonic vehicles. Cheng claimed the US is caught off guard by hypersonic and may be unable to establish its fleet. “We seem to be asleep at the switch,” he observed. Bruno, the head of United Launch Alliance, suggested a laser could stop a hypersonic missile attack. “You can’t outmaneuver the speed-of-light laser,” Bruno remarked. U.S. authorities wouldn’t confirm if a weapon is being developed.
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