The US will face high costs and “monster” complexities to realise the Trump administration’s proposed “Golden Dome” missile defence shield designed in response to China’s expanding arsenal, according to analysts. Citing six sources familiar with the matter, Reuters reported last week that SpaceX, the rocket and satellite company run by Elon Musk, who is also…
Just days after the US accused China of testing ‘dogfighting’ satellites in low Earth orbit, Beijing has clapped back with a sharp rebuttal. A report from China’s state-run Global Times dismissed the US allegations as a “budget-driven” tactic which was “part of a broader effort to curb space advances by emerging powers” and preserve the…
A top Space Force general said Tuesday that commercial systems have observed Chinese satellites rehearsing “dogfighting” maneuvers in low Earth orbit — the U.S. adversary’s latest show of tactical and technological advancement in space capabilities. “With our commercial assets, we have observed five different objects in space maneuvering in and out and around each other…
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…