Beijing’s celestial ambitions: China’s space tech boom rattles US defences, reshapes kill chain threat

China’s rapid surge in space-based military technology is happening at a “breathtaking” pace, putting US forces and their crucial “kill chain” at risk, Washington has warned, as Beijing accelerates its efforts to close the gap in the orbital arms race.

The so-called kill chain — the process of identifying, tracking and striking targets — could be turned against US and allied forces in the Indo-Pacific, as well as enable “over-the-horizon” precision attacks, General Stephen Whiting, head of the US Space Force (USSF), told The Telegraph.

China’s integration of space capabilities across its army, navy and air force has made its forces “more lethal, more precise and more far-ranging,” raising fears that Beijing could surpass the US in the space arms race.

Earlier this year, the USSF revealed that China had executed several coordinated satellite manoeuvres in low Earth orbit, a practice known as “dogfighting.”

“They are practicing tactics, techniques, and procedures to do on-orbit space operations from one satellite to another,” said General Michael Guetlein, Deputy Chief of US Space Operations at the USSF.

“There used to be a significant capability gap between the United States and our adversaries, driven by our technological advantage.

“That gap, once massive, has narrowed considerably.

“If we don’t change our approach to space operations, we risk seeing that gap reverse, putting us at a disadvantage.”

According to USSF figures from 2024, China now operates over 500 satellites capable of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR), launching 67 in the past year alone.

China’s “space enabled services” span a cyberspace army, an aerospace force, and an information support arm.

While America maintains a vast lead with around 8,000 satellites compared to China’s estimated 1,000, Chinese scientists have developed what is believed to be the world’s most powerful satellite-tracking camera, capable of capturing images with millimetre-level precision from more than 60 miles away.

Beijing’s satellites are also advancing counterspace technologies that could jam, destroy, or “spoof” other satellites — misleading GPS receivers and potentially crippling vital networks.

Experts have long warned that the US remains underprepared for these evolving threats, recalling China’s 2008 test when it destroyed one of its own satellites with a ground-launched missile.

The latest advances could allow Beijing to redirect drones, disable munitions or missiles, and disrupt critical infrastructure.

China’s long-range precision weapons “depend on space,” and this is how Beijing “closes its kill chain,” warned General Anthony Mastalir, the USSF commander for the Indo-Pacific region.

As tensions rise, former President Donald Trump’s “Golden Dome” initiative — aimed at deploying US weapons into orbit — was described as “long overdue” and “absolutely necessary” amid threats from China, North Korea and Russia, according to experts at the time.

However, Beijing has condemned such plans, warning they “heighten the risk of space becoming a battlefield, fuel an arms race, and undermine international security.”

Moscow, meanwhile, has called on Washington to engage in talks over the programme, with Trump saying he would do so “at the right time.”

Earlier this month, Beijing and Moscow issued a joint statement labelling Washington’s initiatives as “deeply destabilising” and accusing the US of turning space into “an arena for armed confrontation.”

An unclassified report from the Defense Intelligence Agency released in May concluded that China and Russia “are developing an array of novel delivery systems” to exploit weaknesses in US defences, though traditional ballistic missiles are expected to remain the primary threat to American soil.