Space Wars Heating Up: Inside US and China's Race for Orbital Supremacy

The U.S. and China are accelerating preparations for a military contest in space, developing increasingly agile satellites and weapons designed to protect, pursue, or potentially disable spacecraft in orbit.

The emerging competition is moving beyond satellites that simply support forces on Earth.

Military planners increasingly view orbit itself as a battlefield where spacecraft could maneuver against one another, interfere with rival systems or attack them directly.

China's advances include satellites capable of close-proximity operations, pursuit and potentially capture.

Washington, meanwhile, is calling for a more active warfighting posture that could include orbital interceptors and other weapons.

China Tests More Aggressive Orbital Operations

A secretive unmanned Chinese spaceplane released a small satellite hundreds of miles above Earth in June in an orbital region containing commercial and military spacecraft.

According to space-tracking firm LeoLabs, the object maneuvered around another Chinese satellite before returning toward the spaceplane.

The mission's purpose remains unclear. But the activity highlighted the growing sophistication of Chinese spacecraft that can operate dynamically rather than remain on largely fixed orbital paths.

China has separately demonstrated what U.S. officials describe as orbital "dogfighting", involving several satellites conducting synchronized maneuvers in close proximity.

Chinese spacecraft have also shown the ability to capture a defunct satellite and move it into another orbit.

Last year, China probably attempted an on-orbit refueling operation, according to a U.S. Space Force official.

Such technology could significantly extend how long maneuverable satellites remain operational.

Fuel is a critical constraint for spacecraft conducting repeated orbital maneuvers.

Refueling could therefore determine whether a satellite can keep pursuing another spacecraft or eventually fails to evade it.

Hunter Satellites Take Shape

Chinese military-linked institutions are working on technologies that could make satellites more autonomous and persistent in orbital pursuit.

Patent-related documents show that the manufacturer of some of China's most advanced military aircraft acquired technology that lets satellites calculate fuel-efficient maneuvers autonomously while pursuing another spacecraft.

A technology-transfer notice from China's National University of Defense Technology described a system capable of managing hundreds of satellites simultaneously for defensive and operational missions.

Researchers at another Chinese university with close military links have developed concepts for pursuit satellites, including configurations in which several spacecraft could use nets to capture targets.

Such technologies can also have civilian applications. Refueling, inspection and moving disabled spacecraft are not inherently military operations.

But their potential use in conflict is increasingly shaping U.S. assessments of China's space program.

"The Chinese are rapidly developing capabilities," including weapons based both on Earth and in space that could interfere with or destroy targets, U.S. Space Force Chief of Space Operations General Chance Saltzman said in July.

He described the threat from China as "substantial."

Washington Moves Toward Orbital Warfighting

The U.S. is developing its own capabilities as military leaders argue that defending satellites alone will no longer be sufficient.

U.S. Space Command head General Stephen Whiting has repeatedly warned that adversaries could target American space systems early in a conflict to undermine military operations on Earth.

Satellites underpin communications, intelligence, navigation, surveillance and missile defense. Losing access to them could sharply reduce the effectiveness of U.S. forces.

Whiting has called for orbital interceptors and other weapons that can threaten hostile space systems.

"We must be well-prepared for conflict in space. And if deterrence fails, we will fight and win," he said at a conference in April.

The U.S. Space Force also operates a secretive unmanned spaceplane that can carry cargo and deploy satellites.

Such vehicles combine mobility with the ability to release payloads, giving them capabilities that former U.S. Air Force professor Everett Dolman said could make them appear to adversaries as potential "space fighters."

Allies Join U.S. Orbital Operations

Washington is also bringing allies into more advanced military operations in space.

During a joint U.S.-British operation in September last year, U.S. forces directed an American military satellite close to a U.K. spacecraft as China's Shiyan 12-01 satellite passed roughly 83 kilometers below them.

Commercial tracking data showed the three satellites operating at relatively close distances.

Three military space specialists said the maneuver appeared intended to send a message to Beijing.

Andrew Turner, a retired senior British air force officer, described it as "almost certainly a strategic signal to China," demonstrating allied capability and warning against interference with the U.K. satellite.

The U.S. and Britain publicly disclosed the joint operation but did not reveal its proximity to the Chinese spacecraft.

U.S. Space Command said the mission demonstrated its ability to conduct space operations alongside allies.

Britain's defense ministry said the U.K. and its partners were conducting advanced orbital missions to protect national and military interests.

Satellites Shift from Support Systems to Weapons

The broader shift reflects growing military dependence on space.

Satellites have long supported armed forces through communications, navigation, and intelligence.

Increasingly, military officials are treating them as systems that may need to maneuver, defend themselves or affect opposing spacecraft directly.

Potential threats range from electronic jamming and cyberattacks to ground-based lasers and anti-satellite missiles.

In orbit, the U.S., China, and Russia already operate maneuverable satellites capable of approaching and inspecting other spacecraft.

Those systems could potentially be adapted to carry lasers, projectiles or other weapons.

The U.S. has also accused Russia of developing an anti-satellite capability involving a satellite designed to carry a nuclear weapon.

Moscow has denied developing a space-based anti-satellite nuclear weapon.

Some specialists argue that attacking satellites from Earth remains easier than conducting spacecraft-on-spacecraft strikes.

The U.S. Space Force disclosed in June that it had introduced a ground-based electromagnetic weapon made by L3Harris Technologies designed to disrupt or disable adversary satellites.

Beijing Rejects U.S. Claims of Weaponization

China says it opposes the weaponization of space and supports peaceful activity in orbit.

Beijing has instead accused Washington of fueling an arms race through initiatives including President Donald Trump's Golden Dome missile defense program and possible deployment of space-based weapons.

China's foreign ministry said it had no information about the Chinese spaceplane or Shiyan 12-01.

State news agency Xinhua has described Shiyan 12-01 as conducting space-environment surveys and the spaceplane as an experimental vehicle supporting peaceful uses of space.

But China's own military publications have emphasized the strategic importance of controlling the domain.

PLA Daily said in a 2022 editorial that control of space was essential to protecting national security, securing strategic initiative and achieving victory in war.

As both countries expand their ability to maneuver, pursue, and potentially attack spacecraft, the competition for military superiority is increasingly extending beyond Earth and into orbit itself.