US intelligence: China has tripled its satellite fleet since 2018 — Breaking Defense
The US Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) said in a new report that China has tripled its constellation of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) satellites since 2018. According to Breaking Defense, as of July China had more than 510 such spacecraft in orbit.
The DIA noted that China’s space-based ISR capabilities include satellites with electro-optical observation systems, synthetic aperture radars, as well as spacecraft for electronic and signals intelligence. In the assessment of US intelligence, this network could help the People’s Liberation Army of China detect, track and target US and allied forces on land and at sea.
Focus on the Indo-Pacific region
The report says that China’s satellite network makes it possible to monitor US and allied forces in different parts of the world, including the Indo-Pacific region. Areas receiving attention include the Korean Peninsula, Taiwan, the Philippines, the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea.
Clayton Swope, deputy director of the Aerospace Security Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said that China is actively investing in space sensors to observe Earth and to detect, track and target objects in the region. He drew attention to the potential impact of such sensor networks on US advantages in the stealth capabilities of aircraft and underwater systems.
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Commercial spacecraft and growth rates
The DIA included in its count satellites owned by both the People’s Republic of China and Chinese commercial companies. The agency noted that some of these spacecraft are formally associated with civilian or commercial missions, but their data and imagery may be used by the PLA due to the dual-use nature of the technologies and, possibly, China’s policy of military-civil fusion.
Todd Harrison, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, noted that the DIA’s methodology does not fully explain the composition of the count. According to his data, the number of China’s active observation and meteorological satellites increased from 141 in 2018 to 541, while the number of purely reconnaissance satellites rose from 124 to 453. At the same time, he noted that the pace of growth of China’s constellation has slowed in recent years. Harrison also reported that the United States has 643 active observation and meteorological satellites, compared with 298 in 2018.
The DIA report, as Breaking Defense notes, contains what is likely the first public image of China’s reusable spaceplane, which was last launched in February. Victoria Samson, an expert at the Secure World Foundation, said that the vehicle outwardly resembles the US X-37B.
