For Chinese military intelligence, U.S. “orbital aircraft carrier” must worry the PLA

• Some Chinese People's Liberation Army analysts have pointed out that if the project is successful, while it will improve the space combat capabilities of the U.S. military, it will inevitably intensify military space competition and pose serious challenges to space security.

• Although China claims that its space activities are for peaceful purposes, the development of counterspace capabilities suggests otherwise.

• China has never officially stated that it intends to launch conventional weapons into space, but it is actively developing and testing a range of technologies that could be used to target and neutralize satellites, effectively “militarizing” space in a different way. These developments are seen as a significant threat by the United States and other nations.

A U.S. commercial aerospace company has announced that it has received a $60 million contract from the U.S. Space Force to develop an orbital carrier craft capable of carrying multiple satellites and releasing them rapidly into space to perform various tasks, presumably including military ones.

Some Chinese People's Liberation Army analysts have pointed out that if the project is successful, while it will improve the space combat capabilities of the U.S. military, it will inevitably intensify military space competition and pose serious challenges to space security.

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In order to take the lead in offensive and defensive confrontations, the US Space Force considers space mobility one of its core capabilities and considers achieving continuous satellite mobility a priority in military construction.

In 2023, the US Space Force proposed the concept of “dynamic space operations,” supporting the dynamic implementation of space information support and offensive and defensive confrontation operations through large-scale orbital spacecraft maneuvers.

In April 2025, the U.S. Space Force issued “Space Force Doctrinal Document 1 - Space Force,” which established “space control” as a core function of the Space Force and made orbital maneuverability a general priority.

Chinese military analysts believe that, traditionally, launching satellites from Earth takes a long time and most of these satellites can only stay in orbit until their fuel runs out. In addition, satellite networks are vulnerable to interference from the space environment or enemy sabotage, have poor survivability and insufficient operational resilience. In the event of sudden space threats, the “U.S. orbital aircraft carrier” can serve as a pre-positioned launch platform in space and can deploy new satellites within hours. This ability to quickly replace destroyed critical facilities ensures the continued situational awareness and communication capabilities of the U.S. military.

The “orbital aircraft carrier” can also improve the U.S. military's tactical response capabilities. The U.S. Space Force plans to achieve the goal of “tactically responsive space” by 2026, that is, sending satellites into the designated orbit within 24 hours of receiving a launch order.

The People's Liberation Army believes that if the “orbital carrier” is successfully developed, its long-term presence mode of “orbital pre-positioning + release on demand” could promptly adapt the orbit or attitude of the satellite based on mission changes, which would effectively improve deployment efficiency and maneuverability and could quickly acquire favorable orbital positions at critical moments.

Relevant information from Chinese military intelligence shows that the “orbital aircraft carrier” could be designed with dedicated interfaces for weapons loading to facilitate rapid deployment of offensive or defensive tactical operations. For the People's Liberation Army, this would exacerbate the opacity of the U.S. Space Forces and would require high vigilance from Beijing.

“After all, Chinese intelligence claims, it is difficult for other countries to determine exactly whether it is a satellite or an offensive weapon capable of launching an attack.”

The Chinese believe that “once this technology is mature, orbital transport aircraft can be converted into space weapons platforms at any time, turning space into a battlefield where weapons can be deployed at will.”

Experts stressed that in the face of such uncertainty, China and its allies must take appropriate measures for their own security, which will most likely lead to an escalation of military space confrontation and huge challenges for space governance.

Although China claims that its space activities are for peaceful purposes, the development of counterspace capabilities suggests otherwise. China has never officially stated that it intends to launch conventional weapons into space, but it is actively developing and testing a range of technologies that could be used to target and neutralize satellites, effectively “militarizing” space in a different way. These developments are seen as a significant threat by the United States and other nations.

Here is a summary of what is known.

Counterspace capabilities.

• Anti-Satellite Test (ASAT): China demonstrated its ASAT capabilities in 2007 by destroying one of its unused weather satellites by means of a direct-launch ballistic missile. This created a considerable amount of space debris.

• Co-orbital anti-satellite capabilities: there are concerns about China's development of satellites that can maneuver close to other satellites for various purposes, including potentially disabling or damaging them.Sometimes this phenomenon is referred to as “air combat in space.”

  
  

• Electronic warfare capabilities-China is believed to be developing and testing jamming technologies that could disrupt satellite communications, radar and navigation systems.

• Directed Energy Weapons: The development of high-powered lasers and microwave weapons to disrupt or damage satellites is reportedly underway in China.

  
  

• Hypersonic Glide Vehicles: While officially stated to be for civilian applications, China has tested hypersonic glide vehicles launched into low-Earth orbit, which could potentially be used for novel weapons delivery systems.

  
  

• "Kill Web": China is reportedly building a network of hundreds of satellites aimed at tracking and targeting forces on Earth.

Satellite Activities.

• Rapid Increase in Satellites: China's on-orbit presence has grown significantly, with over 970 satellites in orbit as of June 2024. A large portion of these are intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) capable satellites.

  
  

• Dual-Use Technologies: Some technologies developed for civilian space programs, such as satellite inspection and repair systems, could potentially be repurposed as weapons.

  
  

• Reusable Spaceplanes: China has launched reusable spaceplanes that have released unidentified objects while in orbit, raising speculation about their potential military applications.