China and the US accelerate secret spaceplane programs amid growing militarisation of orbit
US analysts tracked a covert Chinese unmanned spaceplane releasing a satellite and later looping back to another Chinese craft, while the US and Britain carried out a joint maneuver near a suspected Chinese spy satellite.
A covert Chinese unmanned spaceplane released a tiny satellite high above Earth in June and subsequently maneuvered around a second Chinese satellite before returning toward the launch vehicle, US space-tracking company LeoLabs reported. The United States runs a comparable secretive, crew-less shuttle, highlighting parallel development of agile orbital platforms. Recent patent reviews reveal Chinese military researchers are working on technologies to pursue, capture, or refuel other spacecraft.
In a joint US-British operation last September, a US military satellite flew near a UK satellite while China’s Shiyan 12-01 passed about 83 kilometres below, an action interpreted as a warning to China. US Space Force chief Chance Saltzman warned that Chinese capabilities are expanding quickly, and former Air War College professor Everett Dolman said disrupting US space assets would cripple terrestrial military operations. Both sides view satellites as active weapons, capable of jamming, laser dazzling, or even physically seizing enemy craft, underscoring a new frontier in the global arms race.
