As space becomes increasingly vital to military operations, the United States and China are developing technologies that could be used in a potential orbital conflict. Maneuverable satellites capable of tracking or even capturing other spacecraft, anti-satellite weapons, and jamming systems are among the capabilities at the center of this competition, according to a Reuters analysis.
In June, a secretive Chinese uncrewed spacecraft, closely monitored by U.S. military analysts, launched a small satellite hundreds of kilometers above Earth into an orbital region crowded with commercial and military satellites. The object then maneuvered around another Chinese satellite before returning near the spacecraft from which it had been launched, according to U.S. space traffic monitoring company LeoLabs.
Few details are known about the satellite and its mission. However, the U.S. military operates its own equally secretive spacecraft, resembling a small uncrewed shuttle.
The two programs illustrate the rapid evolution of military operations in space, as Beijing and Washington prepare for the possibility that a conflict could extend beyond Earth's atmosphere, according to a Reuters analysis based on documents, space tracking data, and interviews with current and former military officials.
Chinese researchers affiliated with the military are developing technologies ranging from satellites designed to track and even capture other spacecraft to systems that could extend fuel reserves during such operations. Reuters reviewed patent documents, public procurement announcements, and academic papers to assess the evolution of these capabilities.
Meanwhile, the United States and the United Kingdom conducted their first known joint military operation in space, near the trajectory of a suspected Chinese spy satellite, according to commercial space tracking data.
“The Chinese are rapidly developing their capabilities,” including ground- and space-based weapons designed to disrupt or destroy targets, U.S. Space Force Chief of Space Operations General Chance Saltzman said in July. The threat posed by China is “substantial,” added Saltzman, who is set to retire.
Satellites Increasingly Vital to Modern Warfare
Satellites have become indispensable to modern warfare, as demonstrated by conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East. For decades, they have provided armed forces on Earth with essential communications, navigation, and intelligence services. Once placed in orbit, satellites typically remain on fixed trajectories. Increasingly, however, militaries view them as active platforms that could be used in a conflict.
A satellite can disrupt another satellite's operations through jamming or using lasers to affect its sensors. In certain scenarios, spacecraft could even capture or move satellites belonging to an adversary.
Disrupting U.S. space capabilities would “paralyze our massive military in the terrestrial sphere,” affecting a wide range of operations from surveillance to missile defense, said Everett Dolman, a former professor at the U.S. Air Force Air War College. Spaceplanes, due to their ability to maneuver, launch satellites, or carry payloads, could be perceived by adversaries as potential “space fighter jets,” Dolman said.
Allies Join U.S. Efforts
The competition among major powers is intensifying as Earth's orbit becomes increasingly crowded. SpaceX operates approximately 11,000 Starlink satellites and plans to develop a larger constellation of AI-equipped data centers in space. China is developing competing networks, while the U.S. “Golden Dome” missile defense program promoted by President Donald Trump also envisions space-based interceptors.
The United States is also refining its own capabilities that could prove essential in a potential conflict. In a joint U.S.-UK operation last September, the U.S. Space Force, operating from a base in Colorado, directed a U.S. military satellite to rapidly approach a British one. At the same time, the Chinese satellite “Shiyan 12-01” passed about 83 kilometers below the two spacecraft, according to space intelligence company Slingshot Aerospace. At that altitude, specialists consider the distance between objects to be relatively small.
Three space experts with military experience told Reuters the operation appeared designed as a signal to Beijing, including representatives from space monitoring company COMSPOC. Andrew Turner, a senior reserve officer with the UK Royal Air Force and space consultant, said the action was “almost certainly a strategic signal to China,” meant to demonstrate allied unity and capability, as well as to warn against any attempt to interfere with the British satellite.
The United States and the UK publicly announced the operation, presented as the first known space mission between two members of the “Five Eyes” intelligence alliance. However, the two countries did not disclose that it took place near a Chinese spacecraft. Much of space operations remain classified due to their implications for intelligence and national security.
U.S. Space Command told Reuters the mission demonstrated the ability to collaborate with allies in space. The UK Ministry of Defence said space is increasingly important to military operations and that Britain and its partners conduct advanced orbital operations to protect national and military interests. Neither party commented on the operation's proximity to the Chinese satellite.
The incoming head of U.S. Space Force operations, Lieutenant General Douglas Schiess, was involved in the operation. In an interview shortly afterward, Schiess said operating near another spacecraft can help verify an ally's satellite is functioning properly or determine if an adversary is “doing something they shouldn't be doing.” He declined to specify at the time whether another country's spacecraft was nearby.
The UK recently revealed that the space mission ran parallel to a maritime deployment in the Indo-Pacific region. Using space not just to support military operations on Earth but also to influence their outcome is “very, very important,” Major General Paul Tedman, then head of UK Space Command, said at an April conference. Tedman has since retired from the military.
China's Foreign Ministry said it was not aware of the specific details of the U.S.-UK operation. More broadly, Beijing says it opposes the militarization of space and promotes its peaceful use. At the same time, China accuses Washington of fueling an arms race through initiatives such as the “Golden Dome” missile defense system and the development of potential space weapons. Asked about the “Shiyan 12-01” satellite and the Chinese spaceplane, Beijing's Foreign Ministry said it had no information.
State news agency Xinhua described the “Shiyan 12-01” mission as one for studying the space environment, while the spaceplane was presented as an experimental vehicle for peaceful space use. The U.S. Space Force says its own spaceplane conducts a range of tests and experiments.
Space Weapons
General Stephen Whiting, head of U.S. Space Command, has repeatedly stressed space's importance to modern warfare. He has warned that U.S. adversaries are developing capabilities designed to deny American access to key systems and reduce Washington's military effectiveness. According to Whiting, U.S. adversaries would likely attempt to target American space assets in the early phases of a conflict.
To counter these threats, the United States must adopt a more active combat posture in space, the general argues. This would involve not only protecting U.S. systems but also preparing to threaten or attack hostile space assets if the situation demands. Whiting has advocated developing orbital interceptors and other weapons. “We need to be well prepared for a conflict in space. And if deterrence fails, we will fight and win,” he said at an April conference.
Western officials warn of a wide range of threats that could be used against satellites, including ground-based lasers, electronic jamming devices, cyberattacks, and anti-satellite missiles. In orbit, the United States, China, and Russia all operate maneuverable satellites capable of approaching and inspecting other spacecraft. Such systems could be adapted to carry weapons, including lasers or projectiles.
Western officials say Beijing and Moscow have demonstrated technologies that could be used to threaten U.S. and allied satellites. The United States has also accused Russia of developing an anti-satellite capability involving a satellite designed to carry a nuclear weapon. Moscow denies developing a nuclear anti-satellite weapon for space.
Tedman, the former head of UK Space Command, said in an interview last autumn that armed forces now view satellites as “weapons systems” that must be able to maneuver and fight. The West is “making sustained efforts to maintain its strategic advantage in space,” he said.
Some specialists note, however, that disrupting satellites can still be more easily achieved from Earth than through attacks between spacecraft. In a rare disclosure of its own capabilities, the U.S. Space Force announced in June it had fielded a ground-based electromagnetic weapon produced by L3Harris Technologies. The system is designed to disable or disrupt an adversary's satellites.
‘Aerial Combat’ and ‘Hunter’ Satellites
Although the United States remains the world's leading space power, China is rapidly expanding both the number of satellites it operates and the complexity of their missions. Chinese satellites have demonstrated what U.S. officials describe as orbital “aerial combat,” involving synchronized movement of multiple satellites at close distances to one another.
Chinese spacecraft have also demonstrated the ability to capture a decommissioned satellite and move it to another orbit. Last year, China conducted what a U.S. Space Force official said was likely an attempt at on-orbit refueling. Refueling would be a major advance, as satellites are typically limited by the amount of fuel they are launched with. The ability to replenish fuel reserves could significantly change the duration and type of operations a spacecraft can conduct. In a potential conflict, it could determine whether a spacecraft remains the “hunter” or becomes the “hunted.”
Chinese institutions continue to work on developing new capabilities. Patent documents show that the manufacturer of some of China's most advanced military aircraft has acquired technology enabling satellites to autonomously calculate fuel-efficient maneuvers while tracking another spacecraft. Meanwhile, a technology transfer announcement published by the National University of Defense Technology described an advanced system capable of managing hundreds of satellites simultaneously, for both defensive and operational purposes. Researchers at another major Chinese university with close military ties have also developed tracking satellites.
Among the concepts studied is the use of multiple spacecraft equipped with nets to capture orbital targets, according to patent documents. Chinese institutions and the People's Liberation Army did not respond to requests for comment. However, capabilities such as on-orbit refueling and capturing another satellite could also have non-military uses, including servicing, repairing, or removing space objects.
The official newspaper of the Chinese military, PLA Daily, said in a 2022 editorial that controlling space is essential for protecting national security, seizing strategic initiative, and achieving victory in war.