ORLANDO, Fla. — Concerns are rippling across the U.S. Space Force as China ramps up its constellation of reconnaissance satellites. The latest launches, including optical and radar surveillance spacecraft, have U.S. officials dismissing China’s claims that these satellites serve mostly civilian and commercial purposes.
Speaking Jan. 30 at the Space Mobility Conference, Chief Master Sgt. Ron Lerch, of the Space Systems Command’s intelligence directorate, said China’s rapidly advancing military space-based reconnaissance capabilities are worrisome.
Lerch said U.S. analysts have been following the recent spate of Chinese remote-sensing satellite missions and piecing together open source intelligence, and warned that these spacecraft are providing the People’s Liberation Army unprecedented eyes in space to track U.S. and allies’ activities in Asia-Pacific and other hotspots.
He noted that China in recent years has deployed a large number of reconnaissance satellites. But Lerch specifically mentioned China’ launch in December of the classified Yaogan-41 optical satellite to geostationary orbit, a September launch of a trio of Yaogan-39 reconnaissance spacecraft, and the August launch of what is thought to be the world’s first geosynchronous orbit synthetic aperture radar satellite, the Ludi Tance-4. SAR satellites, unlike optical sensors, can see through clouds and at night.
Chinese officials said Ludi Tance-4 is meant for civilian uses such as forestry and disaster response.
Lerch painted a different picture, and said the capabilities all point towards military applications, specifically high-resolution reconnaissance across the Asia-Pacific and other strategically vital regions.
Tracking U.S. movements
China to date has launched 15 Yaogan “triplets,” he said. “The PRC has been pretty quiet about what exactly these systems offer them.”
This growing satellite fleet, coupled with China’s advancements in…
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