Source: World Wide Web
According to a report by Hong Kong's South China Morning Post on November 2, the US media recently claimed that the US surveillance satellite had reached a Chinese advanced communications satellite, but the Chinese satellite was "quickly removed." The U.S. media believes that Chinese satellites have adopted a strategy to avoid being tracked by U.S. spy satellites, which also hints at its ability in a potential space war. But defense analysts say the situation is not new and that the incident should not be seen as intensifying competition between China and the United States in space.
The U.S. military website Breaking Defence reported on October 28 that China's heaviest and most advanced communications satellite, Shijian-20, was approached in parallel by the U.S. space surveillance satellite USA-271, while the Chinese satellite "quickly removed."
Screenshot of the Defense Letters report
The report quoted information released by the Space Tracking Agency ComSpOC as saying that China detected the whereabouts of U.S. satellites. Jim Cooper, head of the agency's space situational awareness unit, said: "They started doing calibration operations, and it was very, very small movements, which was difficult. ”
Defense Letters further hype, China's launch in 2018 TJS-3 "communication technology test" satellite is also considered by the United States to have "anti-space" capabilities, according to ComSpOC data, when the TJS-3 satellite arrives in geosynchronous orbit, the upper stage of the rocket carrying the satellite is equipped with additional fuel, so that it can be parallel to the TJS-3 satellite, as "bait". Cooper sees this as a tactic to confuse enemy space situational awareness networks.
Schematic diagram of the trajectory of the "encounter" between Chinese and American satellites published by "Defense Letters"
The report also mentioned that U.S. Space Command Commander James Dickinson also said at a U.S. congressional hearing in April that the Pentagon was concerned that Chinese technology "could be used to capture other future satellite systems."
The South China Morning Post reported that for the US media's remarks, military expert Song Zhongping said: "It is not difficult to monitor satellites. "The United States, Russia, and China are all able to monitor each other's satellites, but the United States will certainly plan the construction of its space facilities by monitoring Chinese and Russian satellites." Song Zhongping also said that such surveillance and mobilization are not necessarily for military purposes.
It is reported that the Shijian-20 satellite was successfully launched by the Long March 5 Yaosan carrier rocket at the Wenchang Cosmodrome on December 27, 2019. According to public information, this satellite weighs 8 tons, is currently the world's heaviest communication satellite, and is also the heaviest satellite developed by China, which will fully verify the key technology of the Dongfanghong No. 5 satellite platform.
Practice Satellite XX
Among the many "black technologies" that this satellite has, there is a hybrid propulsion system. According to previous public reports, the Shijian-20 satellite is provided by chemical propulsion and electric propulsion, the chemical propulsion force is large, the efficiency is low, suitable for rapid orbit change and adjustment of the satellite attitude, as soon as possible to send the satellite into the established working orbit; the electric propulsion force is small, but the thrust accuracy is high, the efficiency is high, and it is suitable for long-term accurate orbit adjustment in orbit. The chemical propulsion system of the Shijian-20 satellite uses the latest products and technologies such as plate tanks, ultrasonic flow meters, high-precision pressure sensors and heat capacity methods to achieve accurate measurement and management of fuel and ensure that not a drop of propellant is wasted.
Hyping up China's normal spacecraft tests has become a useful trick for foreign media. The Financial Times recently reported that China test-fired a hypersonic missile that can carry a nuclear warhead in August, "which can fly around the earth and invalidate the US missile defense system." The report caused an uproar in the global media, the United States and NATO senior officials also took advantage of this to play the "China threat", the Chinese Foreign Ministry responded that the test is a routine spacecraft test, used to verify the reusable technology of spacecraft, which is of great significance for reducing the cost of spacecraft use, can provide a convenient and cheap way for human beings to use space for peace. There are several companies around the world that have conducted similar trials. Before the spacecraft returns, the spacecraft is separated by the spacecraft's supporting devices, which will burn and disintegrate in the process of falling into the atmosphere and fall into the waters of the East China Sea. China will work with other countries in the world to make joint efforts for the peaceful use of space for the benefit of mankind.
In response to some media's belief that China's space activities are aimed at seizing the leading role in space, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin once said that the progress of science and technology should have served the peace and common progress of all mankind. China's space industry is an important part of mankind's efforts to peacefully explore and utilize outer space and is used exclusively for peaceful purposes. China is willing to carry out international cooperation in the field of space with all countries in the world on the basis of mutual respect, openness, inclusiveness, equality and mutual benefit, so as to make positive contributions to mankind's exploration of the mysteries of the universe, the peaceful use of space and the construction of a community with a shared future for mankind.