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Gizmodo
a day ago
- Science
- Gizmodo
Secretive Chinese Satellite Emerges in Surprising Orbit After 6-Day Vanishing Act
Nearly a week after launch, space tracking systems were able to locate a mysterious satellite parked in an unusually low orbit. China launched the experimental satellite to test new technologies, but it's still unclear exactly what it's doing in its unique inclination. Shiyan-28B 01 launched on July 3 from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, riding on board a Long March 4C rocket. The satellite is part of China's experimental Shiyan series, reportedly designed for exploration of the space environment and to test new technologies. It typically takes a day or two for space tracking systems to locate an object in orbit, but the recently launched Chinese satellite was hard to find. The U.S. Space Force's Space Domain Awareness unit was finally able to catalogue Shiyan-28B 01 on July 9, six days after its launch. The U.S. space monitoring system located the Chinese satellite in a 492 by 494 mile orbit (794 by 796 kilometer orbit) with an 11-degree inclination, astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell wrote on X. At the time of launch, it was estimated that the satellite would be tilted at a 35-degree inclination relative to Earth's equator. Its unusually low inclination, however, suggests that the rocket performed a dogleg maneuver, meaning that it changed direction midway through ascent, and its second stage performed three burns to reduce inclination, according to McDowell. It's unclear why China performed the change in the rocket's path after launch or what the purpose of the satellite's low inclination is. China has never used such a low-inclination orbit before, according to SpaceNews. Based on its orbital inclination, the satellite will pass over parts of the South China Sea and the Indian Ocean, and it may be used for regional monitoring or communication tests. China has been experimenting with new satellite technology. Two Chinese satellites recently performed a docking maneuver for an orbital refueling experiment, which has the potential to extend the lifespan of spacecraft in orbit. The country generally keeps the specifics of its experimental missions under wraps, carrying out secretive maneuvers in orbit as U.S. tracking systems do their best to keep watch.
WIRED
7 days ago
- Science
- WIRED
China Has Attempted What Might Be the First-Ever Orbital Refueling of a Satellite
A rocket carrying the Shijian-25 satellite blasts off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China on January 7, 2025. Photograph:Two Chinese satellites have rendezvoused with one another more than 20,000 miles above the Earth in what analysts believe is the first high-altitude attempt at orbital refueling. China's Shijian-21 and Shijian-25 satellites, known as SJ-21 and SJ-25 for short, likely docked together in geosynchronous orbit sometime last week. This is the conclusion of multiple civilian satellite trackers using open source imagery showing the two satellites coming together, then becoming indistinguishable as a single object. Chinese officials have released no recent public information on what the two satellites are up to, but they've said a bit about their missions in prior statements. SJ-25, which launched in January, is designed 'for the verification of satellite fuel replenishment and life extension service technologies,' according to the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology, the Chinese state-owned contractor that developed the satellite. SJ-21 launched in 2021 and docked with a defunct Chinese Beidou navigation satellite in geosynchronous orbit, then towed it to a higher altitude for disposal before returning to the geosynchronous belt. Chinese officials described this demonstration as a test of 'space debris mitigation' techniques. More Than Meets the Eye These kinds of technologies are dual-use, meaning they have civilian and military applications. For example, a docking in geosynchronous orbit could foretell an emerging capability for China to approach, capture, and disable another country's satellite. At the same time, the US Space Force is interested in orbital refueling as it seeks out ways to extend the lives of military satellites, which are often limited by finite fuel supplies. The Space Force sometimes calls this concept dynamic space operations. While some military leaders remain skeptical about the payoff of in-space refueling, the Space Force has an agreement with Astroscale to perform the first refueling of a US military asset in orbit as soon as next year. China appears to be poised to beat the US Space Force to the punch. The apparent docking of the two satellites last week suggests SJ-21 is the target for SJ-25's refueling demonstration, and US officials are watching. Two of the Space Force's inspector satellites, known by the acronym GSSAP, positioned themselves near SJ-21 and SJ-25 to get a closer look. Retired Space Force lieutenant general John Shaw is a vocal proponent of dynamic space operations. Because of this, he's interested in what happens with SJ-21 and SJ-25. Shaw was deputy commander of US Space Command before his retirement in 2023. In this role, Shaw had some oversight of GSSAP satellites as they roamed geosynchronous orbit. 'The theory behind dynamic space operations stemmed from a kind of operational frustration with our inability to conduct the full range of activities with GSSAP that we wanted to at Space Command, as the warfighter—largely due to the combination of fixed fuel availability and expected satellite lifetime,' Shaw told Ars. As other countries, mainly China, step up their clandestine activities in orbit, military officials are asking more of the GSSAP satellites. 'It was operationally driven then, a couple years ago, but it's now manifesting itself in much wider ways than even it did back then, particularly in the face of activities by potential adversaries,' Shaw said. 'That's why I'm more confident and even more fanatical about it.' Geosynchronous orbit is a popular location for military and commercial satellites. At an altitude of some 22,236 miles (35,786 kilometers), a satellite's orbital velocity perfectly matches the speed of Earth's rotation, meaning a spacecraft has a fixed view of the same region of the planet 24 hours per day. This is useful for satellites providing military forces with secure strategic communications and early warning of missile attacks. Now, geosynchronous orbit is becoming a proving ground for new kinds of spacecraft to inspect or potentially attack other satellites. Ground-based anti-satellite missiles aren't as useful in striking targets in high-altitude orbits, and there's a consensus that, if you were to attack an enemy satellite, it would make more sense to use a weapons platform already in space that could move in and connect with the target without blowing it up and creating a cloud of dangerous space junk. Keeping Watch The US military's GSSAP satellites began launching in 2014. They carry enough propellant to maneuver around geosynchronous orbit and approach objects for closer inspection, but there's a limit to what they can do. Six GSSAP satellites have been launched to date, but the Space Force decommissioned one of them in 2023. Meanwhile, China's satellite operators are watching the watchers. 'We've seen where GSSAP safely and responsibly approaches a Chinese vehicle, and it just quickly maneuvers away,' Shaw said. 'We tend to fly our GSSAPs like dirigibles, using relatively slow, minimum energy transfer approaches. The Chinese know that we do that, so it is relatively easy for them to maneuver away today to avoid such an approach. 'If tomorrow they're able to refuel at will and operate even more dynamically, then the marginal cost of those maneuvers for them becomes even lower, and the challenge for GSSAP becomes even greater,' Shaw said. Danish rear admiral Damgaard Rousøe, Danish Defence Attaché, right, observes space domain awareness data with US Space Force lieutenant colonel Mark Natale, left, Joint Commercial Operations cell director, in Colorado Springs, Colorado, on September 26, 2024. Photograph: Dalton Prejeant/US Space Force China launched a satellite into geosynchronous orbit in 2016 with a robotic arm that could grab onto another object in space, then sent SJ-21 into orbit four years ago on its 'space debris mitigation' mission. Northrop Grumman launched two satellites in 2019 and 2020 that accomplished the first dockings in geosynchronous orbit. Northrop's satellites, which it calls Mission Extension Vehicles, took control of two aging commercial communications satellites running low on fuel, maneuvering them to new locations and allowing them to continue operating for several more years. It's easy to see that this kind of technology could be used for commercial or military purposes. But these Mission Extension Vehicles don't have the ability to transfer fluids from one satellite to another. That is the step China is taking with SJ-21 and SJ-25, presumably with hydrazine and nitrogen tetroxide propellants, which most satellites use because they combust on contact with one another. US Space Command's Joint Commercial Operations cell, which collects unclassified satellite monitoring data to bolster the military's classified data sources, estimated the SJ-21 and SJ-25 satellites 'merged' on July 2 and have remained together since then. The video below, released by s2a systems, shows SJ-25 approaching SJ-21 on June 30. The unclassified data does not confirm that the two satellites actually docked, but that is likely what happened. The satellites came together, or merged, on June 13 and June 30 but separated again within a few hours. These may have been practice runs, aborted docking attempts, or sudden maneuvers to avoid the prying eyes of the US military's GSSAP satellites loitering nearby. Now, the SJ-21 and SJ-25 have been flying together for more than five days with no discernible changes detected from ground-based telescopes. Thousands of miles over the equator, the two satellites appear only as dots in the viewfinders of these telescopes positioned around the globe. What We Don't Know COMSPOC is a Pennsylvania-based company that collects and processes data from commercial satellite tracking sensors. COMSPOC fuses optical telescope imagery with radar tracking and passive radio frequency (RF) data, which uses radio signals to measure exact distances to satellites in space, to get the best possible estimate of a spacecraft's position. 'With most telescopes at 1 kilometer or a half a kilometer, somewhere in there, you're going to start to lose it when they get that close,' said Paul Graziani, COMSPOC's founder and CEO, in an interview with Ars. 'I think it'd be difficult for any telescope, even a really capable one, to get within 100 meters. That seems to be a stretch for telescopes.' That's why it's helpful to add radar and RF data to the mix. 'When you add all of that together, you become much better than the 1-kilometer [precision] that a scope might be,' said Joe Callaro, COMSPOC's director of operations. 'RF tells you if part of that blob is moving and the other part isn't, and even when they all become one pixel, you can tell things about that.' Even then, companies like COMSPOC have a degree of uncertainty in their conclusions unless Chinese or US officials make a more definitive statement. 'We are not working with the government,' Callaro told Ars before last week's apparent docking. "We are not clearing this. The charge that I have for my team is we won't make assertions as to what's going on. We will only tell what our software gives us as a solution. We can say, 'Here are the elements, here's the visual, but what it means and what it's doing, we will not assert.' 'We will not say they're docked, because unless they told me, I wouldn't know that,' Callaro said. 'So, we will say they've been together for this amount of time, that the mission could have happened, and then they separated, became two, and separated at whatever speed.' SJ-21's behavior for the last couple of years suggested it was running empty after undertaking large propulsive maneuvers to capture the Chinese Beidou satellite and move it to a different orbit. Callaro served as a tactician in the Air Force's Joint Space Operations Center, then joined the Aerospace Corporation, before taking the job as operations lead at COMSPOC. He doesn't buy China's suggestion that SJ-21 was purely an experiment in collecting space debris. 'That is not how I see that at all,' Callaro said. 'The fact that we can calculate all the maneuvers it takes to get out and get back, and the fact that afterwards, it spent a couple of years basically not moving, probably because it was low on fuel, sets up the idea' that there's more to SJ-21's mission. Now, SJ-25 goes out there, and it's supposed to be a fuel tank, and it's perfectly aligned with SJ-21—and now we see this happening—tells me that it's much more a counter-space capability than it is a trash remove. But that's what they say.' Unless China makes a public statement on the refueling of SJ-21 by SJ-25, observers won't know for sure if the servicing demo was successful until the satellites detach. Then, US officials and independent analysts will watch to see if SJ-21 makes any substantial maneuvers, which might indicate the satellite has a full tank of gas for whatever mission Chinese officials send it off to do next. This story originally appeared on Ars Technica.
South China Morning Post
01-07-2025
- Science
- South China Morning Post
China's Tianwen-2 returns Earth, moon images as land team simulates lunar lava cave probe
China's space agency on Tuesday released images of the Earth and moon captured by its asteroid-sampling Tianwen-2 spacecraft, while confirming that the probe was in good condition after more than a month in orbit. Advertisement The images were taken by the Tianwen-2 spacecraft's narrow field-of-view navigation sensor on May 30, according to the China National Space Administration (CNSA), which released them after image processing on the ground. This comes days after state media reported that researchers in northeastern China were testing autonomous robots in underground lava caves to simulate the terrain these may explore during future lunar missions. The Tianwen-2 spacecraft has been in orbit since it was launched from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre in southwestern China on May 29. The probe was orbiting at a distance of more than 12 million kilometres (7.5 million miles) from Earth and was in 'good working condition', CNSA said in a news release on its website on Tuesday. The moon as pictured by the Tianwen-2. Photo: Xinhua The first image of the Earth was taken when the spacecraft was 590,000km from the planet, and the image of the moon was taken several hours later at a similar distance from the lunar surface.
WIRED
13-06-2025
- Science
- WIRED
This Chinese Spacecraft Is Traveling to One of Earth's Quasi-Moons
Jun 13, 2025 5:00 AM The Tianwen-2 probe has sent a self-portrait as it heads toward one of the most enigmatic objects in our space neighborhood: the quasi-moon Kamo'oalewa. Tianwen 2's camera captured the solar wing in its fully deployed position. Photograph: China National Space Administration (CNSA) All products featured on WIRED are independently selected by our editors. However, we may receive compensation from retailers and/or from purchases of products through these links. The China National Space Administration has shared the first image from its Tianwen-2 probe, which is en route to Kamo'oalewa, a near-Earth asteroid. The image was captured by a camera onboard the probe, which is currently more than 3 million kilometers from Earth, and shows one of its wings with its solar panels deployed. It is also the first glimpse the CNSA has offered of its space probe, which launched on May 29 on a Long March 3B rocket from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Zeyuan Town, China. The design of Tianwen-2's panels is similar in appearance to those on Lucy, NASA's space probe that is exploring asteroids floating near Jupiter. These serve to meet the power demands required for the trip. Tianwen-2's mission is to land on the surface of Kamo'oalewa, collect samples, and return to Earth. The spacecraft is scheduled to land on the asteroid's surface in July 2026. Before then, it will spend several months studying Kamo'oalewa from a safe distance, to determine its sampling area, before proceeding with landing maneuvers, a particularly difficult task given the asteroid's low gravity. Once the samples have been collected, Tianwen-2 will travel back to Earth and send its samples down to the surface in a capsule, before then attempting to use Earth's gravity as a slingshot to head toward 311P/PanSTARRS, an unusual-looking asteroid beyond Mars that has some of the characteristics of a comet, including visible tails. Tianwen-2 is expected to conduct this mission until 2035. The Enigma of the Hawaiian Quasi-Moon Kamo'oalewa is one of Earth's seven known quasi-moons—objects that appear to be orbiting our planet, but which aren't actually gravitationally bound to Earth, and are actually asteroids circling the sun in an orbit similar to Earth's. Discovered in 2016 by astronomers at the Haleakala Observatory in Hawaii, Kamo'oalewa—whose name means 'oscillating celestial object' in Hawaiian—is located approximately 4.65 million kilometers from our planet, 12 times further away from Earth than the moon. Kamo'oalewa is estimated to be roughly 40 to 100 meters in diameter, has maintained its current orbit for 100 years, and will probably maintain it for 300 more. It's hoped that Tianwen-2 can solve the mystery of Kamo'oalewa's origin. One theory is that it's a chunk of rock that broke off from the moon millions of years ago. The sampling mission will help multiple scientific investigations into the composition of rocky celestial bodies, as well as aid scientists in the search for clues about the formation of the solar system. Observational evidence and modeling suggest that Kamo'oalewa has been orbiting the sun for millions of years, albeit with an unstable trajectory. A direct exploration of this asteroid could, in addition, expand knowledge about nearby celestial objects that might potentially pose a threat to Earth. This story originally appeared on WIRED en Español and has been translated from Spanish.
Sustainability Times
06-06-2025
- Politics
- Sustainability Times
'NASA Didn't See This Coming': China's Tianwen-2 Asteroid Mission Stuns U.S. Scientists and Sparks Urgent High-Level Space Response
IN A NUTSHELL 🚀 Tianwen-2 embarks on a dual-phase mission to collect samples from the asteroid Kamoʻoalewa and study comet 311P/PANSTARRS. embarks on a dual-phase mission to collect samples from the asteroid Kamoʻoalewa and study comet 311P/PANSTARRS. 🔍 The mission uses innovative techniques like hover sampling, touch-and-go, and anchored drilling to gather valuable data. 🔬 Equipped with 11 scientific payloads, Tianwen-2 aims to explore the composition and geological features of celestial bodies. 🌌 This ambitious project reflects China's expanding space ambitions and positions it as a leader in global space exploration. China has embarked on an extraordinary journey into the far reaches of our solar system, launching the Tianwen-2 mission to gather invaluable data from celestial bodies. This highly ambitious mission seeks to collect samples from the asteroid Kamoʻoalewa, a mysterious body thought to be a fragment of the Moon, and later study the intriguing comet 311P/PANSTARRS. As the probe travels through space, it promises to deliver groundbreaking insights that could reshape our understanding of space and planetary science. With its successful launch, China has set its sights on cementing its position as a major player in the realm of space exploration. Dual-phase Mission with Ambitious Targets The Tianwen-2 mission is a testament to China's growing prowess in space exploration. Launched aboard a Long March 3B rocket from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, the probe is on a dual-phase mission with distinct goals. The first phase involves reaching the near-Earth asteroid Kamoʻoalewa, which was discovered in 2016 and is believed to be a piece of the Moon. This asteroid, measuring between 131 and 328 feet in diameter, offers a unique opportunity for scientists to understand its structure, mineral composition, and origin. To successfully collect samples, Tianwen-2 will employ three innovative sampling techniques: hover sampling, touch-and-go, and anchored drilling, depending on the asteroid's surface conditions. Following the sample collection, the probe will use Earth's gravity to slingshot itself toward comet 311P/PANSTARRS, expected to occur by 2035. This comet is of particular interest due to its asteroid-like behavior, making it an ideal candidate for studying transitional objects in the solar system. 'Space Nukes Are Here': China's Orbital Weapons Trigger Alarms and Revive Trump's Massive Golden Dome Defense Ambitions Complex Navigation, Delicate Maneuvers Reaching and interacting with small celestial bodies like asteroids and comets presents significant challenges, primarily due to their weak and irregular gravity fields. Unlike planets, these bodies cannot support traditional orbiting methods, necessitating precise and complex navigation. Franco Perez-Lissi, a systems engineer at the European Space Agency, described the task as akin to docking a boat with a mountain floating in space. The Tianwen-2 mission requires the probe to closely match the asteroid's rotation and speed to achieve successful sampling. Such maneuvers demand cutting-edge technology and precise execution. The probe must adapt to the unpredictable movements and minimal gravitational pull of these celestial bodies. Successfully accomplishing these tasks will not only allow for sample collection but also pave the way for future missions targeting similar space objects. 'World's Largest War Base Exposed': Satellite Images Confirm China's Secret 1,000-Acre Military Megastructure Under Construction Scientific Payoff and Planetary Defense The scientific rewards from the Tianwen-2 mission could be substantial. Equipped with 11 scientific payloads, including spectrometers, high-resolution cameras, and particle detectors, the probe is designed to study the composition, geological features, and solar wind interactions on both the asteroid and the comet. Past missions, like NASA's OSIRIS-REx and JAXA's Hayabusa2, have brought back organic materials such as amino acids and nucleobases, which are essential building blocks of life. Beyond scientific exploration, the mission also holds potential implications for planetary defense. Understanding the composition and trajectory of near-Earth objects can inform strategies to mitigate potential asteroid impacts. By studying these celestial bodies, researchers can develop better models for predicting and responding to threats from space, enhancing the safety of our planet. China Unleashes Next-Gen EREVs With Jaw-Dropping 870-Mile Range and Hesai LiDAR That Could Redefine Autonomous Driving Forever Expanding China's Space Ambitions With Tianwen-2, China continues to expand its ambitious space program. This mission follows the successful Tianwen-1 Mars mission and aligns with future plans for Mars sample returns and Jupiter system explorations. As part of a long-term roadmap, China is also eyeing the construction of the International Lunar Research Station and a potential Venus sample return mission. The commitment to these expansive projects reflects China's determination to advance its 'space dream,' as articulated by President Xi Jinping. The nation is investing heavily in its space infrastructure, including the operational Tiangong space station and plans for a crewed Moon mission later this decade. Such initiatives not only enhance China's scientific capabilities but also position it as a formidable force in the global space race. The success of the Tianwen-2 mission could mark a significant leap forward in China's exploration of the cosmos, offering new opportunities for international collaboration and scientific discovery. As humanity continues to reach for the stars, what new mysteries will these pioneering missions uncover about the universe and our place within it? Our author used artificial intelligence to enhance this article. Did you like it? 4.7/5 (26)
