On Tuesday, a top Space Force general reported that commercial systems have detected Chinese satellites engaged in “dogfighting” maneuvers in low Earth orbit, highlighting advancements in China’s tactical and technological capabilities in space.
Vice Chief of Space Operations, General Michael Guetlein, made this statement during the McAleese Defense Programs Conference held in Washington. He elaborated, “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.” This activity is referred to as dogfighting in space, where satellites perform complex operations from one to another.
A spokesperson later clarified that this operation occurred in 2024 and involved three Shiyan-24C experimental satellites alongside two other Chinese experimental spacecraft, the Shijian-605 A and B, which are believed to have a signals intelligence mission. The exercise demonstrated China’s capability to perform rendezvous and proximity operations, which include navigating around other objects and inspecting them.
Guetlein noted this satellite maneuvering alongside other concerning actions from U.S. adversaries, including Russia’s 2019 demonstration of a “nesting doll” capability, in which a satellite released a smaller spacecraft that stalked a U.S. satellite. These developments suggest a narrowing of the space capability gap between the U.S. military and its near-peer adversaries, which has been a growing concern for Space Force leaders.
Guetlein remarked, “That capability gap used to be massive,” emphasizing the necessity for the U.S. to reassess its approach to space operations to prevent the possibility of the capability gap reversing in favor of adversaries.
As the Space Force intensifies its focus on achieving “superiority” in space, Guetlein reinforced the organization’s commitment to guaranteeing space dominance and supporting joint forces. He stated, “The purpose of the Space Force is to guarantee space superiority for the joint force — not space for space’s sake. Space [operations] guarantee that, just like all the other domains, we can fight as a joint force and we can depend on those capabilities.”
Courtney Albon, the author of this article, is a reporter for C4ISRNET specializing in space and emerging technology, having covered the U.S. military since 2012 with a focus on the Air Force and Space Force.
