Space Force Warns That China Practices “Dogfighting” With Satellites
The U.S. Space Force (USSF) has raised concerns about China’s advancements in space warfare, particularly its recent demonstration of “dogfighting” maneuvers involving satellites.
General Michael Guetlein, Vice Chief of Space Operations, revealed that five Chinese satellites were observed performing synchronized and controlled proximity operations in low Earth orbit during 2024.
“With our commercial assets, we have observed five different objects in space maneuvering in and out and around each other in synchronicity and in control,” Vice Chief of Space Operations Gen. Michael Guetlein said during the McAleese Defense Programs Conference in Washington. “That’s what we call dogfighting in space. They are practicing tactics, techniques and procedures to do on-orbit space operations from one satellite to another.”A service spokesperson later elaborated on Guetlein’s comments, saying the operation occurred in 2024 and involved three Shiyan-24C experimental satellites and two other Chinese experimental spacecraft, the Shijian-605 A and B. The Shijian-6 systems are believed to have a signals intelligence mission.The exercise showcased the country’s ability to perform complex maneuvers in orbit, referred to as rendezvous and proximity operations, which involve not only navigating around other objects but also inspecting them.Guetlein listed the satellite dogfighting demonstration alongside several other concerning activities from “near-peer” U.S. adversaries. That includes Russia’s 2019 demonstration of a “nesting doll” capability, where one satellite released a smaller spacecraft that then performed several stalking maneuvers near a U.S. satellite.
Dogfighting refers to close-range combat, but the term is applied differently depending on the context—on Earth, it traditionally involves animals or aerial combat. Despite the popular “Star Wars” imagery, dogfighing in space currently consists of orbital maneuvering between satellites.
These demonstrations highlight a narrowing technological gap between the US and its competitors, prompting concerns about the potential for hostile actions against American satellites. And while Russian satellites have advanced capabilities, China has been reportedly stalking American space satellites.
A representative of Colorado-based space tracking firm LeoLabs confirmed that the company had observed the Chinese demonstration of what are known in the space community as rendezvous and proximity operations (RPO) using its network of ground-based radar — as well as another, ongoing case involving Russian satellites.“The Russians are right in the middle of a three-spacecraft RPO,” the LeoLabs rep added.Both countries in the past have demonstrated RPO ability with two spacecraft moving closely around each other in LEO, raising Defense Department concerns. US officials have said that China further has been using several satellites to stalk US government and commercial satellites stationed in geosynchronous Earth orbit (GEO).
The general wrapped-up his remarks with a call to readjust USSF culture and training to reflect the new capabilities.
Guetlein’s comments follow aggressive calls from Space Force leaders for more resources to establish “space superiority” and use military force—including offensive weapons—to control the space domain.To get after the service’s new “space superiority” mission, Guetlein said the service needs to change its culture and training, and buy new kit. “We’re only going to be as good as the amount of resources that we’re willing to put towards space superiority,” he said.
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