Stefanie Schappert
In June, a Chinese spacecraft, on its third mission, was observed releasing an object, moving several kilometers away and then manoeuvring back to within a few hundred meters of it.
Alternatively, the experts also say the observed spacecraft – similar to the Boeing X-37B robot spaceplane (pictured above) used by NASA and the US military – could also be used for manipulating or retrieving satellites.
"It's obvious that it has a military application, including, for example, closely inspecting objects of the enemy or disabling them," said Marco Langbroek, a lecturer in optical space situational awareness at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands.
"But it also has non-military applications. Gaining experience with this kind of grab and release is good if you want to for instance ... refuel your own satellites."
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