US, China build ‘hunter’ satellites as space warfare looms

Email: online@newsofbahrain.com

Washington: The United States and China are quickly establishing military capabilities for potential space conflict, with both countries working on manoeuvrable satellites, secretive spaceplanes, and technologies to interfere with or disable rival spacecraft.
A recent Chinese mission pointed to the growing competitiveness. In June, an unmanned Chinese space aircraft launched a small satellite hundreds of miles above the Earth. According to space-tracking data reviewed by Reuters, the satellite circled another Chinese spacecraft before returning to the spaceplane.

Chinese military researchers are building ‘hunter’ satellites that can pursue and perhaps capture other spacecraft. In-orbit refuelling and autonomous manoeuvring are also being studied, which could allow satellites to operate for longer periods of time while following other objects.

The US is developing similar capabilities through its covert unmanned spaceplane program, and the US and Britain have undertaken a coordinated operation near a suspected Chinese surveillance satellite. According to Washington, China is increasing its ground- and space-based capabilities, including systems for jamming, disrupting, and destroying satellites.

The rising competition mirrors a broader shift in military policy, with satellites increasingly being viewed as weapons systems rather than passive communication or surveillance platforms. Jammers, lasers, manoeuvrable satellites, and possibly orbital weapons are among the technologies under development, generating concerns that future conflicts will reach beyond Earth into space.

Photo: Representative Image