China’s military in space: USA warn of progress

Dreat in space

“Very worrying”: USA warn of China

Military disputes also shift to space. There China is becoming more and more a threat, the United States warn.

According to the US armed forces, China has caught up with alarming pace in the development of military space technologies. According to a report by the British newspaper “The Telegraph”, the head of the US Space Command, General Stephen Whiting, warned that Beijing has expanded central skills in space for targeted target recording, disturbance of opposing satellites and integrating into its conventional armed forces.

General Whiting therefore spoke of three areas in which China was particularly quick: the satellite-based target system, in space-based defense and interference technologies as well as the seamless connection of these space technologies with the army, air force and marine. These developments are part of a strategy that enables China to conclude a so -called “Kill Chain” – that is, the complete recording, persecution and combat of a goal. This is “very worrying”.

In the area of ​​education and target acquisition, China already has more than 500 military satellites. In total, Beijing brought 260 satellites into space last year, including 67 with reconnaissance functions. In addition, a research team developed a camera in early 2025 that could take pictures with a millimeter precision from over 100 kilometers away. General Anthony Mastalir, responsible for the Indo-Pacific room in the US room trip command, said that China’s long-distance weapons are decisive on space support.

The US military also sees China on the rise in anti-satellite weapons. In addition to known rocket starts for the targeted destruction of satellites, China, according to whiting, have funds for “reversible cyber disorder”, GPS and communication blockades, laser systems and so-called co-orbital weapons. These could target satellites in orbit or get other systems out of balance through targeted maneuvers. The US general Michael Guetlein also pointed out coordinated satellite movements in which Chinese systems operated in network-an indication of possible attack formations.

Another focus is to link these skills to classic warfare. Since a reform in 2016, a separate space unit has been set up in China’s army, which has been transferred to an independent air and spatial dispute since 2024. This increases the reach, accuracy and punch of the armed forces significantly, said Whiting.

Even though the United States is nominally superior with around 8,000 satellites in orbit, both countries have about the same number of military satellites-around 250. In May, the US government under Donald Trump announced a billion dollar project called “Golden Dome”, which is to build up a dome from space weapons above the US festival land by 2029.