China space station’s giant robotic arm sparks concerns in US
- Device could be ‘used in a future system for grappling other satellites’, head of US Space Command says
- 10-metre-long arm attached to the core module of the Tiangong space station is capable of lifting objects weighing up to 20 tonnes
Chinese scientists say the 10-metre-long device, which is capable of lifting objects weighing up to 20 tonnes and can move around on the outside of the station, will be used to grab incoming spacecraft as they approach and help them to dock.
While the concept is not new – China has launched several scavenger satellites fitted with robotic arms to gather and steer space debris so it burns up in the Earth’s atmosphere – not everyone in the US is convinced its purpose is wholly benign.
James Dickinson, commander of the US Space Command, told a Congress hearing last month that the technology “could be used in a future system for grappling other satellites” and was therefore a concern to the US military.
“One notable object is the Shijian-17, a Chinese satellite with a robotic arm,” he said, adding that its ability to potentially take down US probes was a “pacing challenge” in the space domain.
The China Academy of Space Technology, which developed and operates Shijian-17, said at the time of its launch in 2016 that its mission was to test “high-orbit space debris observation technologies”.