The Shadow War in Space “every day”: Russia, China use lasers, jammers, dangerous stunts

Long March-5B, China, Space Program. May 2020

China’s Long March-5B launch*

This should rattle the Wokeness Cage: Russia and China are actively testing the US defences in space on a daily basis. US assets are being harassed with lazers, radio jammers, cyber attacks and even other satellites with robotic grappling hook arms. The Russians even launched a satellite into an orbit so close to a US Security satellite that from the ground people couldn’t tell if it was being attacked, then, in something like a James Bond movie stunt, the Russian satellite launched a little target and shot it, “dangerously close”. That was in 2019. We can see now why Trump set up “Space Force”.

Last week the news came out that China’s space program was going nuclear, and the 1MW reactor would be 100 times larger than the one NASA plans to put on the moon by 2030.

Gen. David Thompson from Space Force estimates China may overtake the US in space by the end of the decade.

So by 2030 the US hopes to reduce CO2 by 50% and China hopes it will command space.

Meanwhile, China is a developing nation that doesn’t need to reduce CO2 emissions at all, and in the US, some schools for gifted and talents students are being closed “because they are racist and elitist“.

Hopefully, the thought of China weaponizing space might make people rethink climate change and education.

Space Force General: China and Russia attacking U.S. space assets ‘every day’

The Washington Post

“The threats are really growing and expanding every single day. And it’s really an evolution of activity that’s been happening for a long time,” [said] Gen. David Thompson, the Space Force’s first vice chief of space operations…

Both the Russians and the Chinese are working on satellites that can attack other satellites, he said. For some time now there have been reports that China was developing a satellite that could claw another satellite or grab one with a robotic arm or a grappling hook. The Chinese government has several reasons to want to disable U.S. satellites, which have been useful in revealing concentration camps built to intern Uyghur Muslims and new Chinese nuclear missile silo fields.

In 2019, Russia deployed a small satellite into an orbit so close to a U.S. “national security satellite” that the U.S. government didn’t know whether it was attacking or not, Thompson said. Then, the Russian satellite backed away and conducted a weapons test. It released a small target and then shot it with a projectile.“It maneuvered close, it maneuvered dangerously, it maneuvered threateningly so that they were coming close enough that there was a concern of collision,” he said. “So clearly, the Russians were sending us a message.”

China is far ahead

The Daily Mail:

Thompson said China is sending up new satellites twice as fast as the US is managing to, and that the budding superpower is working on a system of global satellites aimed at surveilling any part of the world.

‘They’re fielding operational systems at an incredible rate,’ he said.

In theory it could disrupt or even disable US satellites which revealed information about China’s nuclear operations and the existence of Uyghur Muslim concentration camps.

‘The Chinese are actually well ahead’ of their Russian counterparts, Thompson claimed.

But Russia blew up an old spy satellite of their own two weeks ago, leaving a trail of debris of 1,500 trackable pieces circling the Earth possibly causing havoc for spacecraft for years.

*The rocket ended up going out of control and crashed in the Indian Ocean. China being good global citizens, NOT.

9.8 out of 10 based on 57 ratings

59 comments to The Shadow War in Space “every day”: Russia, China use lasers, jammers, dangerous stunts

  • #
    RobB

    Hypersonic missiles – the kind Australia is planning on getting – come in so fast that ground based radars, which can only see to the horizon, are useless. Hence if you want to detect them early enough to intercept them, you need to do it from space. I actually think the US is ahead here, because what you do is put up constellations of thousands of satellites (as in Elon Musks Starlink) giving you constant surveillance, lots of redundancy, and communication across the network.

    80

  • #
    Wet Mountains

    The next world war will begin in space.

    30

    • #
      el+gordo

      It may not come to that, for Beijing its primarily a defence strategy, like Ronald Reagan’s Star Wars initiative.

      https://www.wired.co.uk/article/soviet-laser-satellite

      43

      • #
        GlenM

        Indeed, this source seems to come from the same – same old Neo-Cons. Yanks are always complaining about the other sides dirty tricks. Pushing the Sino- Russia conspiracy trip.

        42

    • #

      It may start in space, but it won’t end there. After the first few shots, there will be so much junk floating around that near Earth space will become inaccessible for many years, if not decades.

      70

      • #
        Bozotheclown

        And then likely cause failures in other orbits as to ruin GPS, all communications by satellite, Most of the remote sensing used to measure and predict weather, sea level, global temperature…..

        Sorry, did you say this all would be a bad thing?

        00

    • #
      Mal

      The war has begun
      It’s cyber, propaganda, economic under the cover of the UN and the West is falling for it thanks to stupid academics, media and bought, gutless or brainless politicians.
      The wests focus on equality, diversity etc as a priority and co2 emissions reductions leaves Australia as a sitting duck.

      90

      • #
        farmerbraun

        “thanks to stupid academics, media and bought, gutless or brainless politicians.”

        Thanks to corrupt academics ; bought-off media, sports-persons , churches and levy bodies ; power and wealth -seeking politicians ; “Health and Safety” over-reach ; The Big Lie (AGW and Pandemic) ; dysfunctional state education; technological fascism.
        FIFY

        70

        • #
          el+gordo

          Too many unrelated memes, Joe wants to reinvigorate democracy but some countries haven’t been invited to the party.

          https://thediplomat.com/2021/12/which-asia-pacific-countries-were-and-werent-invited-to-the-us-summit-for-democracy/

          10

        • #
          Deano

          “bought-off media, sports-persons , churches and levy bodies ; power and wealth -seeking politicians ; “Health and Safety” over-reach ” (etc)

          That’s the best condensed summation of the suicide of western civilization I’ve read.
          I work in a medical research institute that started with just a handful of brilliant, dedicated scientists enthusiastically investigating areas where progress needed to be, and could be made. It was efficient and vital and inspiring to work at. But now I’m watching it destroy itself groaning under layers of management and endless administrative duties – most of which exist purely to provide jobs for useless employees required by law to be in place. It’s killing it.
          Very little research gets done anymore but our media liaison team churn out ready made stories for the media to run claiming we’re doing wonderful work, and I’m looking forward to retirement.

          20

    • #
      Len

      Klaus Schwabb has already started it 😉

      10

  • #
    Mark Kaiser

    I seem to remember some mockery of Trump’s “Space Force” by the MSM.

    I’m behind on what the likes of the MSM media are saying today about the Russia/China threat from space. Or are they just ignoring it all?

    120

  • #
    LloydWW

    You have to wonder how long China can sustain its programme of expansion. By all accounts their economy is in tatters, they have trouble feeding their population and maintaining reliable electricity supplies. By one report 80% of their water resources are hopelessly polluted and they have a looming demographic problem of epic proportions. They’ve destroyed a lot of their international goodwill, few countries will trust them and multinational companies are steadily withdrawing. And their population which once experienced seemingly unbounded prosperity is now facing hardships occasioned by mismanagement, colossal waste and corruption.

    I’m not saying we should cut them any slack. On the contrary I’d like to cut them off from our iron ore and coal, revoke their Most Favoured Nation status and reclassify them as a developed country. I’d like to see all Chinese companies listed on Western stock exchanges be forced to conform to the same accounting rules as our domestic companies. I’d like us to demand reparations for Covid and when they refuse to pay either force them to divest their assets in our country or freeze their assets. Do all this to try to haste their collapse and hopefully sue for peace.

    Some of these measures would also damage us, sure. But if we allow the current trajectory to continue it will make a future confrontation that much more difficult to deal with. We’re in an undeclared war and the longer we refuse to engage the stronger they will become despite their problems.

    You know it makes sense.

    230

    • #
      RickWill

      You are describing a cornered rat. Not something many would choose to confront.

      China will likely grow old before growing wealthy. Honk Kong and Taiwan are testament to the industry of the Chinese people in a sound system of government. Both vie for the world’s wealthiest population per capita. Maybe Taiwan should take over the CCP; a reverse takeover if you like.

      Given time, I am hopeful Taiwan and Hong Kong are influential in China’s future.

      110

      • #
        LloydWW

        I have no problem with a China under non communist rule. We would supply such a China, trade with her and deepen our ties. But the CCP is an insidious and malevolent force which has shown itself to be duplicitous brutal and callous.

        Yes, Communist China would become like a cornered rat, as you put it but it would mired in its own filth. Better that than allowing the wolf warrior among the sheep.

        80

        • #
          KP

          “But the CCP is an insidious and malevolent force which has shown itself to be duplicitous brutal and callous.”
          You’ve got that round the wrong way, you’re describing America! The country that has been in the most wars since 1950, has a military larger than the next 6 nations combined, has 1100 military bases around the world it calls “Embassies”, hasn’t had to do any work to pull its weight in the world since WW2 as it just prints dollars and buys the world with them. Their secret Govt Depts have been caught out doing everything from assassinations to torture to toppling Govts to dealing in drugs…

          and you think the Chinese are bad?

          Maybe your view of them and their economy is a product of Western propaganda.

          36

          • #
            LloydWW

            America is not perfect, certainly. But for all its faults I believe America generally tries to do the right thing and even succeeds more often than not.

            As for propaganda, in case you haven’t noticed much our media have been wallowing in revisionist self loathing over the last decade or so. Someone is definitely succumbing to the propaganda of the day but it isn’t me.

            50

    • #
      yarpos

      Bit of a struggle for them, being a developing country and all.

      20

  • #
    David Maddison

    President Trump rarely did anything wrong.

    Even though members of the non-thinking community laughed at the time, there was a very good reason he set up tue Space Force.

    241

    • #
      Ross

      Echoes of Ronald Reagan when he announced his “missile dome” defence system. The media at the time were equally critical as if it was science fiction lunacy. But, that project lead to the Patriot missile defence system which has shown to be invaluable where used in some countries eg Israel.

      40

  • #
    el+gordo

    Beijing is leading the charge and the US knows it, so they’ll seek peace.

    ‘Telephone call in January being considered after consensus was reached during Xi-Biden summit on setting up discussions, sources say.

    ‘Arms control predicted to be among the main topics of discussion in the proposed talks.’ (SCMP)

    32

    • #

      There’s the Biden administration which comes from a mind set of accepting harmful deals just to say they accepted a deal and a Xi administration that does whatever is in its own best interests regardless of what it says it will do. How would any negotiations between these two parties turn out well for anyone except China?

      50

      • #
        el+gordo

        Of course, Xi holds the whip hand, nevertheless the Wuhan debacle has put Xi in a bad light on the world stage and he intends to remedy that. Brinkmanship will continue but peace in our time is now a certainty.

        11

        • #
          OriginalSteve

          I think I’d be more concerned about Russia and NATO just quietly.

          China is a distraction ( and yes Tiawan is gone, best get used to that idea )

          10

        • #
          Adellad

          Interesting conjecture, but “peace in our time” is an unfortunate way to put it given Chamberlain’s place in history. In addition, “a certainty” is dangerous language – tempting fate and all that.

          00

  • #
    Kalm Keith

    Amazing technology, up there.

    Down here where humans exist, for the moment, it’s dangerous, mesmerising and out of control.

    We are near a critical point; reassert the sovereignty of the People or lose every last bit of the Democratic freedoms we once had.

    We don’t have much time and They have a two year head start.

    120

    • #
      el+gordo

      Strongly disagree, the world is not at a critical point. Life on this planet has always been chaotic and its a miracle we have survived.

      The new space technologies, forged through the military industrial complex, are meant for self defence.

      312

      • #
        Neville

        Completely agree with you EG on the first 200,000 years but HUMAN lives are very easy today compared to pre INDUSTRIAL REV.
        Unfortunately most of our so called leaders can’t understand the very simple DATA and evidence anyone can find with a 5 minute search online. And Dr Rosling has made it very easy to understand and in under 5 minutes, 1810 to 2010.
        Unbelievable but true.

        60

        • #
          Kalm Keith

          Physically easier; mentally we have entered a new nightmare stage that is not survivable.

          Governments are surviving on borrowed money.

          Time’s up.

          50

          • #
            el+gordo

            Quantitative easing is not borrowed money.

            Mentally we are still good, excessive lockdowns were a restraint but as time goes by it’ll become a thing of the past. Let the good times roll.

            24

          • #
            Neville

            Agreed KK we have invented an EXISTENTIAL threat in the very best of times and the strange delusions of our so called leaders + so called scientists are way beyond belief.
            Of course the mad lefties and some young kids lap this garbage up and then demand even more idiocy to provide even more penalties+ hard times for the OECD countries.

            40

  • #
    Neville

    Meanwhile the USA will waste trillions $ on Biden’s so called EXISTENTIAL threat and have ZERO impact on the climate.
    And the evil lefties around the world must be laughing their heads off at the stupidity of our so called leaders throughout the OECD countries.
    Perhaps we’ll get a quick taste of the looming EU and USA energy problems if we have a severe few months as they enter the NH winter?
    Who knows?

    80

  • #
    Binny Pegler

    Hopefully, the thought of China weaponizing space might make people rethink climate change and education.
    Please don’t make ridiculous statements like that – I just snorted coffee all over my keyboard/sarc

    60

  • #
    Neville

    BTW the farmers in the UK are already digging sheep out of the heavy snow drifts and this is just a couple of days ago on 30-11-21.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnadPKLfkiA

    90

  • #
    Peter C

    The Future is here.

    Some of these issues were the subject of the Tom Clancy novel “Threat Vector -2012”, especially political friction with with China and cyber warfare.

    https://tomclancy.com/product/threat-vector

    60

  • #
    David Maddison

    The major environmental destruction of our time is in Russia e.g. Chernobyl, space; and China e.g. the dams program such as Three Gorges, atmospheric pollution (not including CO2 which is not a pollutant although they are the world’s largest producer of CO2), pollution of the food chain, ocean and river pollution, massive illegal fishing and heavy metal mining, space, destruction of rare and endangered species for body parts for “medicine” and other use and the coronavirus bioweapon. And don’t forget massive human rights abuses in both places including genocide in China plus harvesting transplant organs from prisoners.

    When was the last time you heard a Leftist complain about either of these countries? The silence is deafening.

    60

    • #
      farmerbraun

      “The major environmental destruction of our time”

      The only real difference between our time and earlier times is that there are more of us now , and we’ve invented technology which permits us to do more damage faster.
      Otherwise it’s still the same mentality at work , don’t you think?

      20

    • #
      Lars P

      “in Russia e.g. Chernobyl”

      Ahm… That city is in the Ukraine. That’s a different state, not Russia…

      41

      • #
        David Maddison

        Fair enough, but it was part of the Soviet Union at the time which was colloquially known as “Russia”

        71

  • #
    David Maddison

    Perhaps the only identifiably correct thing Biden’s handlers have ever done is to keep the Space Force President Trump created.

    In fact, Space Force has the “full support” of Biden’s handlers.

    I’m not sure why because everything else the Biden regime does is designed to weaken America so keeping Space Force is not consistent with that policy.

    https://www.defensenews.com/space/2021/02/03/with-the-full-support-of-the-biden-adminisration-the-space-force-is-officially-here-to-stay/

    With Biden’s ‘full support,’ the Space Force is officially here to stay

    By Valerie Insinna Thursday, Feb 4

    WASHINGTON — U.S. President Joe Biden will not seek to eliminate the Space Force and roll military space functions back into the Air Force, the White House confirmed Wednesday.

    White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters during a Feb. 3 briefing that the new service has the “full support” of the Biden administration.

    “We’re not revisiting the decision,” she said.

    The U.S. Space Force has been a notorious and controversial presence in U.S. politics since 2018, when then-President Donald Trump took on the new military branch as a pet project.

    SEE LINK FOR REST

    40

    • #
      Ross

      It’s probably because Hollywood did a streaming comedy television series starring Steve Carell called “Space Force”. Biden and the Democrats probably don’t want to upset them.

      30

      • #
        David Maddison

        Good point.

        Or they thought they were funding the Hollyweird comedy and not President Trump’s military agency.

        40

  • #
    David Maddison

    https://www.orfonline.org/expert-speak/chinas-irresponsible-behaviour-a-threat-to-space-security/

    China’s irresponsible behaviour: A threat to space security

    12 May 2021
    RAJESWARI PILLAI RAJAGOPALAN

    SEE LINK FOR REST

    30

  • #
    David Maddison

    With a massive space program, including the illegal militarisation of space, how does China get to retain its “Third World / developing country” status and therefore unlimited CO2 production* while the West has to destroy its economies by curtailing proper energy production to be replaced by intermittent and expensive Chinese windmills and solar panels.

    *Not that CO2 is a problem.

    Eh, what????

    40

    • #
      el+gordo

      India is also in the space race, side by side with disparity in wealth, they are still developing.

      21

      • #
        Neville

        Amazing ongoing border war between China and India in their very high country, yet fought with caveman tools like clubs and rocks etc.
        But they still manage to kill each other sometimes, but I’m still happy that India acts as another defiant buffer and at least they will still defend themselves.
        I fully understand they can’t use nukes to sort out their border skirmishes, so crude clubs and rocks are a good choice for now.

        60

  • #
    Rambling+Idiot

    Well first of all the newly created Space Force has to emit propaganda in order to justify its existence…

    But assuming some or more of it is real, its clear that the dreaded Chinese and Russians are merely pointing out that the US can no longer rely on its satellites during a conflict. Since the US military heavily relies on it’s satellites for everything including it’s penchant for ubiquitous drones it ought to think twice when banging the drum for more war.

    21

  • #
  • #
    Major. Distraction

    Apologies foremost Joanne, your forum is great. But alas it is far too focused on fanciful beliefs, that change will come about by slow exposure to the truth. You must take every article you have ever written and put it into the larger picture. You would have heard of Agenda 21. If not, indulge yourself. It is not a conspiracy theory, that global corporations are conspiring to implement control over the earth, it resources and its inhabitants. The whole idea about sustainability is fabricated. Pitching the line that we the people have to reduce our carbon footprint whilst they continue unabated. Using the finite resources we have left and producing absolute rubbish, to which there is absolutely no demand for.

    I might continue to read your articles and humour myself. Already knowing nearly most of it, is old news.

    It is now time to stand and take action.

    I wish you all your readers peace and good health.
    And if God truly exists, I pray for you all.

    21

  • #
    yarpos

    For many decades these countries have prodded , probed, incited reactions, overflown each others airspace , established and maintained mobile and fixed sigint gathering capabilities (including most embassies) Did anyone expect space to be different?

    20

  • #
    KP

    “Well first of all the newly created Space Force has to emit propaganda in order to justify its existence…”

    Absolutely! This is just the usual pre-budget rant from some crappy bureaurat trying to grow his esteem and empire in Govt service.

    America has behaved like it owned outer space for decades, half the reason they have been bad-mouthing Russia all that time. Now China is a competitor too and its getting the same treatment from the America-controlled West.

    Of course they both want their own GPS systems, who would ever rely on the Yanks to provide it when they can turn your part off. America has been flat-out developing weapons in space for ages. They have their top-secret reusable spaceplanes up there nearly all the time now, and even if they’re just carrying a ton of 3M long tungsten rods its still a threat to anyone who doesn’t do what America wants.

    I didn’t see Russia or China forming a ‘Space Marines’ force… The Yanks are only loud-mouthing now because Elon Musk has saved their arse, otherwise they would still be asking Russia to take their people up! They banned China from going on the ISS, so now the Chinese are building their own.

    Pfft! Ignore them and let them collapse back into a failed empire like Portugal or Spain. A new world is dawning and it won’t have the West leading it.

    You know it makes sense.

    12

  • #

    “In the game of chess, you can never let your adversary see your pieces.” Zap Brannigan

    IOW the Americans are making like they are underpowered. They’re not.

    30

  • #
    Philip

    One would assume it would wake people up, but mental illness is a powerful thing.

    00

  • #