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China’s space program took a major stride this past week as two of its satellites seemingly docked together in what could have been the country’s first high-altitude attempt at refueling a satellite while in orbit.
The Shijian-21 and Shijian-25 satellites appeared to dock with one another last week more than 20,000 miles above the planet in geosynchronous orbit, in which a satellite’s orbital period matches the pace of the Earth’s rotation, according to news outlet Ars Technica.
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While Chinese officials have not recently released any updates about the two satellites, civilian satellite trackers showed Shijian-21 and Shijian-25 moving closer together before becoming indistinguishable from one another, Ars Technica reported.
A Long March-3B carrier rocket carrying Shijian-21 satellite blasts off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center on Oct. 24, 2021 in Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province of China. (Li Jieyi/VCG via Getty Images)
These two satellites docking in geosynchronous orbit could indicate that China has the potential to disable another country’s satellite in space, Ars Technica reported.
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However, the U.S. Space Force has similarly been interested in orbital refueling as military satellites often have limited fuel supplies. The military branch is slated to perform its first-ever refueling of a U.S. military asset in orbit as early as next summer.
American officials may have taken note of the apparent docking by China last week, as two of the Space Force’s inspector satellites appeared to move closer to Shijian-21 and Shijian-25 following the maneuver, Ars Technica reported.
A Long March-3B rocket carrying a test satellite, Shijian-25, blasts off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China’s Sichuan Province, Jan. 7, 2025. (Du Xinxin/Xinhua via Getty Images)
Geosynchronous orbit, which is situated at an altitude of around 22,236 miles, is popular among military and commercial satellites as it means they have a fixed view of the planet and can provide military forces with information like early warnings of missile attacks, according to Ars Technica.
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In April, Space Force Gen. Chance Saltzman described China’s explosive advances in space as “mind-boggling” and warned the U.S. is on a path to losing its dominance in orbit.
A photo illustration of a satellite is pictured here. (iStock)
Testifying before the bipartisan U.S.-China Commission, Saltzman said China is “heavily investing” in both ground-based and space-based weapons designed to disable enemy satellites, including kinetic strikes, radio-frequency jamming and directed energy weapons.
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China also increased its military spending by 7% this year, stockpiling anti-satellite missiles and claiming to possess directed energy weapons that use concentrated energy beams to jam satellite signals.
The U.S. Space Force and NASA did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.