- The commander of the US Space Command has said that China may be planning to remove US satellites from the moon.
- Analysts have warned that China may be planning to use its power in space for military purposes.
- But some say realizing that ambition may be difficult.
Would You like a feature Interview?
All Interviews are 100% FREE of Charge
Amid growing U.S. concerns about China’s space program, the commander of the U.S. Space Command has said China may be planning to attack U.S. satellites from the moon.
Defense One reported Comments from Brig. Gen. Anthony Masteril, commander of the U.S. Space Force Indo-Pacific Command, discussed China’s moon exploration plans during a meeting on Monday.
“The question from a military perspective is: Are there attack vectors, whether it’s xGeo, cislunar, or something else, that we haven’t considered or should consider? ” Masteril said.
XGeo is Space Force terminology that refers to all of space beyond geostationary orbit, about 22,000 miles above the Earth’s surface.
Cislunar refers to the part of space between the Earth and the Moon.
Masteril said that while the primary focus remains on potential conflicts on Earth, China’s lunar strategy requires urgent consideration.
“Right now, I’m more concerned about how these new orbits, the presence of the Moon, will impact potential attack vectors to traditional operational orbits,” he said. .
The United States has thousands of satellites in orbit, which are used for a variety of civilian and military purposes. It also carries satellites used to monitor ballistic missile threats.
U.S. officials are increasingly sounding the alarm about China’s military space program. Gen. Stephen Whiting, commander of the U.S. Space Command, Congressional hearing In February, he said China’s military capabilities in space were growing at a “breathtaking pace.”
China is “expanding its military space and counterspace capabilities at a breathtaking pace to deny the United States and its allies space capabilities if they so choose.” He said.
China has pushed back against the claims, with a spokesperson in February accusing the United States of using the accusations “as a pretext to expand its military capabilities.” Bloomberg reported.
As part of China’s growing space exploration program, it aims to take astronauts to the moon by the end of this decade. Some experts believe that China’s exploration plans are actually part of a strategy to claim ownership of the moon.
Richard Fisher of the International Center for Evaluation Strategies recently said: He told Newsweek last year: China may seek to use its presence on the moon for economic and military purposes.
“From the moon, China could better monitor lunar and astronomical space and even deploy laser and missile systems to attack important U.S. satellites in deep space,” Fischer told the magazine. Ta.
But other experts believe the chances of China controlling the moon remain extremely low.
“If China were to take control of part of the moon, it would be a dangerous, expensive, and highly provocative move,” he wrote. R. Lincoln Hines, Svetla Ben-Itzhak in the Space.Com article.