20 December 2024

China’s Different Approach to Space Situational Awareness

Kristin Burke 

Introduction This report attempts to answer two questions. First, what do Chinese authors writing in Chinese and English reveal about domestic satellites supporting space situational awareness (SSA).i Second, given the available open-source information, in what ways does China’s approach to conducting space-based SSA differ from that of the United States. 

This report identified at least ten spacecraft Chinese researchers have used for spacebased SSA. Another eight inferred satellites are included based on Chinese discussion of their orbits or sensors. Among the known SSA satellites are two which are developed, owned, and operated by Chinese mixed-ownership enterprises.ii In the sections that follow, the reader can find all the satellites in Table 2, and descriptions in aggregate and in detail. This review covered previously or currently on-orbit satellites, not plans for future systems. 

This report finds three significant differences between China’s and the U.S.’s approach to space-based SSA. China has a different approach to space-based SSA architectures, different priorities for their placement in orbit, and a different rationale for enabling autonomous decisionmaking on satellites equipped with SSA sensors. 

The primary factor driving these three differences is China’s lack of consistent access to a worldwide network of radars and telescopes, a problem that the U.S. has not had to face. China has mitigated the impact of this constraint by prioritizing SSA satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO) that operate autonomously and watch LEO, over SSA satellites dedicated to geosynchronous Earth orbit (GEO). Given China’s setup, it appears China needs space-based SSA, in pa

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