China trails US in building up ground-based satellite surveillance network
- Relocation of Space Surveillance Telescope to Australia shows value of American alliances
- Beijing reliant on less stable partnerships with Latin American, African and Pacific countries
Australia and the United States declared their Space Surveillance Telescope operational late last month after it was moved from New Mexico to Western Australia.
The US Space Force said it would improve the tracking of satellites in geosynchronous orbits that match the Earth’s rotation and bolster the US Space Surveillance Network, which uses ground sensors spread around the world to monitor space debris and satellites.
That orbit, around 36,000km (22,000 miles) above Earth, is also home to Chinese satellites in the Fenghuo, Shentong and Tongxin Jishu Shiyan series that observers suspect are used by the military because of how little the authorities have said about their missions.
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The space force said the successful relocation of the 118.77-tonne telescope – built by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with US Defence Department funding – showed that the US’ strong network of partners in the Asia-Pacific region could help advance its space capabilities and those of its allies.
Analysts said China lacked such a network, and had to rely on less stable partnerships with Latin American, African and Pacific countries that were often offered economic incentives in return for cooperation.
“Compared to the global network of bases and facilities that the United States has access to through its alliances and partnerships, it’s clearly at a more junior stage,” said Euan Graham, a senior fellow for Asia-Pacific security at the International Institute for Strategic Studies think tank.