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Chinese satellites evade US surveillance probe, then stare back, according to report
Published: 10:56pm, 24 Jun, 2022Chinese satellites have shown the ability to evade and monitor a US surveillance satellite, prompting experts to call for new norms as the space powers increasingly play cat-and-mouse games in orbit, according to a new report.
Earlier this year, two Chinese satellites were approached by an American space surveillance satellite after they reached geostationary orbit, according to the report published by Space News on June 16.
The Chinese satellites – Shiyan-12-01 and Shiyan-12-02 – took off in opposite directions as USA 270 drew near, and the Shiyan-12-02 then positioned itself to look back at the US satellite, the report said.
The China Aerospace Science Corporation (CASC) launched the satellites from Wenchang Space Launch Centre in the southern province of Hainan last December.
It is not the first time there have been close encounters between the two countries’ satellites, as games of “geostationary orbit cat and mouse” between the competitors are becoming more frequent, according to the report.
In November, Shijian 20, China’s most advanced communication satellite, was approached by a US surveillance satellite but reportedly sped away.
The Secure World Foundation, which is dedicated to the sustainable and peaceful use of outer space, is “concerned that the ambiguity over some of these actions and that heightened tensions could lead to some sort of conflict, to mistakes or misperceptions”, Brian Weeden, the foundation’s director of programme planning, told Space News.
The recent encounter comes as the two countries have raised concerns about each other’s space activities.
Last year, China complained to the United Nations that two SpaceX Starlink satellites had come dangerously close to the country’s Tiangong space station, forcing it to take evasive action.
Military researchers subsequently said China needed to develop the ability to destroy or disable satellites if they threaten the country’s security.
US military leaders expressed concern when China’s Shijian 21 space debris mitigation satellite hauled a defunct BeiDou navigation satellite 3,000km (1,864 miles) to a graveyard orbit in January.
US Army General James Dickinson, commander of the US Space Command, told the Senate Armed Services Committee in March that Shijian 21, a satellite with robotic arm technology, “could be used in a future system for grappling and disabling other satellites”.
The latest encounter between US and Chinese satellites has prompted discussions about creating new norms and rules for space, according to the Space News report, with Weeden suggesting there should be more communication between countries about close approaches – even for military satellites.
Jiao Weixin of Peking University’s School of Earth and Space Science said it was not difficult to monitor satellites and change trajectory, but international norms were urgently needed to ensure safety and avoid collision.
Jiao said the US had consistently kept an eye on Chinese satellites through its advanced surveillance technology, but despite being a major space player, the US had not taken the lead in creating rules governing space activities, including space debris removal.
