While on Earth we continue to fight over stupid borders drawn in ink, above our heads a much more complex and potentially devastating game is silently being played. U.S. Space Force He raised an alarm that has the flavour of a science fiction film, but is terribly real: Chinese satellites are “fighting” each other in space.
This is not a real war, but exercises that simulate what could become the new theater of conflict between powers in the future. And to think that we believed that space should unite humanity, not divide it further.
The New Frontier of Strategic Conflict
The general Michael Guetlein, deputy chief of space operations for the United States, revealed this disturbing scenario at the McAleese Defense Programs conference in Washington. “We observed five space objects moving in and out, around each other in synchrony and under control,” he said in a tone that revealed concern behind the apparent military coolness. This is what is known in jargon as “dogfighting” in space, a term that recalls dogfights but carried in orbit.
These Chinese satellites are not just passively floating; they are practicing tactics, techniques and procedures to conduct space operations from satellite to satellite. A concrete testimony that the militarization of space is no longer a theoretical threat, but an expanding reality.
A spokesperson later specified that China had conducted a series of proximity operations in 2024, involving three Shiyan-24C experimental satellites and two Chinese experimental space objects Shijian-6 05A/B. These maneuvers were observed in low Earth orbit and, more disturbingly, were initially detected by commercial satellites before being reported to the Space Force.
China's Ever-Evolving Capabilities
China is certainly not new to this type of activity. Of course, even US statements must be seen as part of the “shrieks” of cross-propaganda, but according to several sources the “Celestial Empire” has had anti-satellite rockets for almost twenty years, a non-negligible element in the equation of space security. Four years ago it launched a satellite equipped with a robotic arm, claiming that it was only experimental. But appearances can be deceiving, especially in space where visibility is limited and intentions can remain hidden until the last moment.
In 2022, some skywatchers have suggested that the Asian nation even have captured one of its own satellites, moving it into a different orbit. A further demonstration of capabilities that go far beyond simple observation or communication, the traditional tasks assigned to Chinese satellites in the civil sector.
What keeps me up at night is the rate at which the opposing threat changes every single day. It's a staggering rate.
These words General Guetlein’s warnings are ringing alarm bells. It’s not just satellites flying in unusual formations; China also has a large fleet of jammers in space. Over the past three years, the Space Force has watched both China and Russia become much more aggressive in orbit, with signal jamming, traffic spoofing, and “dazzling” orbital reconnaissance platforms becoming more common.
Chinese Satellites “Fighting”: A Future of Celestial Tensions
But why this race for “space superiority”? The answer is as simple as it is disturbing: space has become fundamental for critical infrastructure and military communications. Whoever controls space has an immense strategic advantage even in ground operations.
The militarization of Earth's orbit presents us with a scenario we thought was confined to science fiction: a tomorrow in which looking at the night sky will mean observing not only stars, but silent technological predators ready to neutralize each other. While politicians continue to talk (nonsense, of course) about peace on Earth, a new, invisible arms race is taking place among the satellites above our heads.
And we, unsuspecting spectators, can only look up and wonder what the future holds.
