China is making rapid progress in space technology, raising concerns in the United States that the gap between the two countries is closing. A senior US Space Force official highlighted China’s latest achievements, particularly in satellite refueling. China launched the Shijian-25 satellite in January, testing in-orbit refueling technology that can extend the life of spacecraft….
A Pentagon agency said on Friday that it had “temporarily suspended” the sharing of satellite imagery with Ukraine in accordance with orders from President Trump, the latest in a series of steps taken by the administration to pressure Kyiv into peace talks with Russia. The move, by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, could shut off a…
The Trump administration said on Wednesday that it would overhaul a $42 billion federal grant program aimed at expanding high-speed internet to the nation, including easing some rules that could benefit Elon Musk’s satellite internet service, Starlink. The program will be revamped to “take a tech-neutral approach” in its distribution of funds to states, Commerce…
Satellite technology that can track hundreds of millions of shipping containers around the world has been successfully tested by Chinese military scientists, in a huge leap forward in monitoring global supply chains. Developed by researchers with the National University of Defence Technology (NUDT) in Changsha, the technology centres on the Tiantuo-5 satellite – a compact,…
Peculiar electromagnetic bursts of energy known as “chorus waves” have been detected far from our planet for the first time by a China-led team of scientists, whose findings have raised new concerns about the risks for spacecraft and astronauts. The fluctuations originated about 165,000km (100,000 miles) from Earth – three times as far as any…
A cluster of fireballs streaked across the Southern sky Saturday night, leaving witnesses dazzled and alarmed — especially in light of reports of mysterious drone sightings in New Jersey and across the northeast. This time, though, the truth is out there. Experts say the spectacular light show was the result of a derelict Chinese satellite…
The GuoWang internet satellites, launched this week as the first step in China’s answer to SpaceX’s Starlink constellation, featured notable differences from their US counterpart. Not only are the Chinese satellites “huge” and “heavyweight”, but they were also arranged inside the launch vehicle in a unique double-decker type of layout, according to the China Academy…
A batch of GuoWang satellites launched aboard a Long March-5B rocket from the Wenchang spaceport in southern China. Once in space, the satellites were successfully manoeuvred into their planned low-Earth orbit. Chinese state agency Xinhua declared the mission a success, stating that 10 GuoWang satellites entered into their predetermined orbit. GuoWang: A ‘national network’ for…
A Chinese tech company has signed a deal in Brazil that positions it as a potential challenger to Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite internet constellation in the region. Shanghai-based SpaceSail on Tuesday signed a memorandum of understanding with Brazil’s state-owned telecoms firm Telecomunicacoes Brasileiras (Telebras) coinciding with Chinese President Xi Jinping’s state visit to the Latin…
An election conspiracy theory is spreading on social media alleging that billionaire Elon Musk hacked the 2024 election in favor of President-elect Donald Trump using his Starlink satellite internet company. Conspiracy theorists allege that Starlink, a satellite constellation developed by Musk’s SpaceX designed to provide high-speed broadband internet across the globe, was connected to the…