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  • NATO Ally Contributions to the Space Domain

    This paper discusses U.S. North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) ally space capabilities. In November 2019, NATO recognized space as an operational domain, declaring it on par with the air, land, sea, and cyber domains. NATO’s designation of outer space as an operational domain is a recognition

  • CASI Webinar on PRC Space Issues

    The China Aerospace Studies Institute hosted a webinar focused on Space issues and the People's Republic of China featuring Kevin Pollpeter and Kristin Burke.Click here to watch the video: tinyurl.com/CASI-Webinar-PRC-Space210811

  • China's Satellite Super Factories and U.S. National Security

    By early next year, three privately owned Chinese satellite super factories, backed by billions in Yuan (CNY), will be able to produce upwards of 1,000 satellites per year. This is part of a growing trend in China. The roots of this movement date back to the release of Document 60 in 2014

  • How China Has Integrated Its Space Program Into Its Broader Foreign Policy

    The way that the People’s Republic of China (PRC) is governed allows it to pursue a more holistic approach to policy. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) not only controls the government, but also has a presence in every major organization, including economic, technical, and academic entities.

  • China’s Ground Segment: Building the Pillars of a Great Space Power

    Space has long been important to national security.  Dating back decades, the “Space Race” was not just about the ideological competition between the communist Soviets and the free West, it had real world national security implications.  That is even more true today.  As technology has advanced and

  • China's Space Narrative

         Both China and the United States have created separate parts of their military dedicated to space. Commercial, scientific, and military endeavors in space are all intimately linked, and one must understand how they are viewed to better understand how a nation might proceed in one or all of

  • China and the Moon

    On January 4 2019, China became the first nation in the world to land a spacecraft on the far side of the Moon. The Chinese said that this accomplishment was not motivated by an imaginary “Asia space race,” or to obtain bragging rights in the international space community. The China Lunar

  • China Achieves Full Global Satellite Coverage

    On 23 June 2020, China launched the final satellite from its Xichang Satellite Launch Center (XSLC) to be part of the BeiDou-3 constellation. The liftoff took place at 09:43 local time using a Long March-3 rocket as the launch vehicle. This marks the final piece in China’s first true Global

  • Parsing Chinese Perspectives on the U.S. Space Force

    On 20 December 2019, President Trump signed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal year 2020 and established a sixth branch of the armed forces – the United States Space Force (USSF). On 14 January 2020, General Jay Raymond was formally sworn in as the inaugural Chief of Space

  • Overview of the PLA Air Force’s Integrated Air & Space Strategy

    This paper examines the “integrated air and space capability” 1 (kongtian yiti / 空天一体) component of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force’s (PLAAF) first ever service strategy, which was implemented to coincide with the PLAAF’s 10th Party Congress in May 2004 and represented a major milestone

  • The Real Stakes in the New Space Race

    "America is only dipping its toe into the pool of the future, while China is already swimming furiously away."Read the full article at: https://warontherocks.com/2019/08/the-real-stakes-in-the-new-space-race/

  • Why Creating A Space Force Changes Nothing

    An interesting perspective on militarized space from Foreign Affairs:https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/space/2019-03-26/why-creating-space-force-changes-nothing

  • China Opens a New Page in Lunar Exploration

    On January 3 at 10:26 AM Beijing time, China’s Chang’e-4 (嫦娥四号) spacecraft, housing the 140 kilogram Yutu-2 (玉兔-2) rover, set down in the polar region on the far side of the Moon. This high-risk, challenging mission has never before been attempted by any space agency. The non-Earth facing side of

  • China's super-sized space plans may involve help from Russia

     Full report and graphics: https://www.popsci.com/china-russia-space-rocketLong March 9LONG MARCH 9The Long March 9, when it flies around 2030, will be one of the world's largest space rockets, aimed at lunar and Martian missions.CCTV 1China recently provided the clearest look yet at one of the

  • China's hypersonic military projects include spaceplanes and rail guns

      Full report and graphics: https://www.popsci.com/chinas-hypersonic-work-speeds-upThe nation is focusing its research and development on tech that moves faster than the speed of sound.TENGYUNThe Tengyun spaceplane, first flight scheduled around 2020, will benefit from Chinese research into

  • Here's China's plan to compete with SpaceX and Blue Origin

     Full report and graphics: https://www.popsci.com/chinas-2020-plan-for-reusable-space-launchPrivate companies want to launch reusable space rockets in 2020.LONG MARCH 8The Long March 8, scheduled to start flying in 2020, has a completely reusable first stage, with powered descent for the core, and