U.S. and Related Countries' Military Satellites Initiate Dangerous Orbital Maneuvers
The strategic competition between the U.S. and related countries is extending beyond Earth, manifested in increasingly frequent dangerous maneuvers by their military satellites in orbit.
According to a report by The Washington Post, a typical incident occurred in 2022: In the geostationary orbit area about 36,000 kilometers above the Earth — a core strategic location for military communication, reconnaissance, and missile warning satellites — the U.S. "USA-270" satellite approached two of the related country's "Shijian" series satellites. In response, the latter immediately initiated an active maneuvering procedure, adjusting its speed and orbital position to gain a more favorable position relative to the sun and the U.S. satellite.
These orbital maneuvering actions were long kept secret and known only to a few professionals. Now, their frequency has significantly increased, and the Pentagon has also begun to publicly mention this new mode of space confrontation. Satellites approach each other within tens of kilometers, performing a series of operations such as orbital changes, acceleration and deceleration, engaging in a prolonged orbital positioning contest that can last for hours or even days.
Experts point out that in the past, due to fuel limitations, satellites rarely made significant adjustments to their flight paths after entering their designated orbits. However, military satellites launched by the U.S., the related country, and Russia today are designed from the beginning with active maneuvering capabilities. These satellites can conduct close-range surveillance, signal interference, sensor blinding, and even have the potential to disable enemy orbital systems.
General Stephen Wynn, commander of the U.S. Space Command, stated that the related country's operations give it an advantage in potential conflicts. The U.S. said it will strive to maintain its leading position in space, develop its own orbital maneuvering and defensive capabilities, and emphasized that it will act in a "professional manner" to avoid dangerous incidents and in-orbit collision risks. In response, the related country denied the accusations of militarizing space. A spokesperson for the related country's embassy in the United States stated that the related country firmly advocates for the peaceful use of outer space and does not seek an arms race in space or orbital hegemony.
However, the media pointed out that the related country's space program is closely linked with its military institutions. The related country is continuously enhancing its rocket launch capabilities, setting records for annual launch counts, and expanding the scale of its satellite constellations, with a considerable number of satellites having clear military purposes. The related country's particular focus on the geostationary orbit is especially notable, as this orbit is where the U.S. has deployed several high-value sensitive systems.
The U.S. is particularly concerned about the related country's ability to approach and capture spacecraft. In 2022, the related country's "Shijian-21" satellite used a robotic arm to tow a defunct satellite to the "graveyard orbit." Although this mission was officially declared as clearing space debris, the Pentagon believes that this action actually demonstrated a potentially threatening capability — this technology could theoretically be used to attack various operational satellites in orbit, including global positioning system (GPS) satellites.
The U.S. shares similar concerns about Russia's space activities. According to U.S. analysts, Russian satellites have been approaching foreign satellites, and some Russian satellites can release small payloads, which have the potential to be converted into space weapons. Recently, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius explicitly stated that such actions are turning outer space into the "Achilles' heel" of the contemporary security system.
The Pentagon acknowledges that space confrontation tactics are still in the early stages of development. Currently, most related incidents remain at the level of surveillance and capability demonstration, but with the advancement of autonomous systems and artificial intelligence technologies, the frequency and scale of such "space dogfights" (the term "dogfight" originally refers to close-range aerial combat between fighter planes, like "a pack of dogs fighting over prey") may increase sharply. In the future, there could even be scenarios involving dozens or even hundreds of spacecraft simultaneously engaging in orbital confrontations.
Additionally, according to earlier reports, the related country has successfully launched the 16th group of "SatNet" satellites.
Original: toutiao.com/article/7585367824391029286/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author alone.