US Sees China’s Space Threat Growing at ‘Breathtaking Pace’
- Beijing gaining tech to disrupt US satellites, target forces
- Space Command chief speaks in Senate hearing on Thursday
A Long March-2F carrier rocket, carrying the Shenzhou-17 spacecraft and a crew of three astronauts, lifts off in northwest China in October.
Photographer: Pedro Pardo/AFP/Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
China is growing its military capabilities in space at a “breathtaking pace” to counter the American satellites in orbit and improve its ability to monitor and target forces on Earth, according to the head of the US Space Command.
America’s top strategic challenger is seeking to develop advanced space weaponry and making advances in satellite meteorology, human spaceflight and robotic space exploration, General Stephen Whiting said during a hearing Thursday of the Senate Armed Services Committee.