China Is Preparing to Go to War in Space
On April 24, a Long March 2F rocket lifted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China and carried the three taikonauts of the Shenzhou-20 mission to the Tiangong space station. There, they replaced the Shenzhou-19 crew and now are scheduled to remain in orbit for six months. Shenzhou-20 is the ninth crewed mission to China’s three-module, T-shaped outpost, which was fully assembled in October 2022 and is now about 20% the size of the International Space Station.[1]
China plans to expand[2] and keep Tiangong in orbit for at least a decade.[3] NASA, on the other hand, expects to deorbit the ISS, as the five-partner space laboratory is known, at around the end of 2030.[4] When the largest space station in history comes down, China will have the only crewed outpost in orbit.
Leaving China alone in earth orbit is akin to unilateral disarmament. Tiangong, after all, is a military base. As Richard Fisher of the Washington, D.C. area-based International Assessment and Strategy Center points out, one of its modules can launch either very small satellites that can perform interception missions or satellites carrying powerful laser and microwave weapons that can destroy satellites in multiple orbits.[5]
China has other devices designed to bring war to near-earth orbits. For instance, the Chinese military is practicing taking down the satellites of other countries. “With our commercial assets, we have observed five different objects in space maneuvering in and out and around each other in synchronicity and in control,” Vice Chief of Space Operations Gen. Michael Guetlein told the 16th annual McAleese Defense Programs conference in Arlington, Virginia on March 18. “That’s what we call dogfighting in space. They are practicing tactics, techniques, and procedures to do on-orbit space operations from one satellite to another.”[6]
That’s not all China can do. Its People’s Liberation Army has proven that it has developed ground-based ASAT—anti-satellite—interceptors to destroy objects in both low-earth orbit and much higher medium earth orbits. It also has “co-orbital” interceptors, satellites that can follow, approach, dock with, or use robotic arms to move other satellites into useless orbits. In January 2022, China’s Shijian-21 satellite “grappled” a defunct Chinese satellite in geosynchronous orbit and towed it to a “super-graveyard drift orbit.”[7] In January 2007, China launched a modified ground-based DF-21 missile to destroy an old Chinese weather satellite, scattering debris. There were thousands of trackable remnants and tens of thousands of smaller particles. Pieces will remain in orbit for decades, perhaps longer.
As Gen. Guetlein pointed out in March, China has “gone from what we used to call a ‘Kill Chain’ to a ‘Kill Mesh.’” A Kill Mesh combines ISR—intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance—satellites with an array of weapons systems.[8]
The Chinese array is especially impressive. As Fisher writes, the Chinese military is developing “weaponized space platforms intended for Earth orbits but which can also be sent to lunar and Martian orbits to assure dominance for Chinese troops on the moon and Mars.”[9] China’s large unmanned space planes will be able to re-enter the atmosphere to maneuver toward a new orbit and then relaunch into space to deploy energy and missile weapons.
The People’s Liberation Army also appears to be working on large combat platforms that can attack satellite targets in multiple orbits. Expect the Chinese military to also deploy clusters of combat satellites to attack the lunar and Martian satellite networks of the future.[10]
“This marks the end of the Western-American-liberal dream of nations leaving wars on Earth so they can cooperate in space to advance humanity,” Fisher said in the wake of Gen. Guetlein’s widely publicized remarks. “Communist China has now taken war to the heavens, to low earth orbit, and very likely, will take war to the moon, Mars, and beyond. The heavens are no longer safe for the democracies.”[11]
In short, the U.S., with a military extraordinarily dependent on its space assets, is in grave danger. “A space Pearl Harbor is at hand,” Brandon Weichert, author of Winning Space: How America Remains a Superpower, told me. “The recent demonstration of Chinese ‘dogfighting’ capabilities in space is an indicator that Beijing means to use force on earth. By targeting sensitive U.S. military satellites, the People’s Liberation Army can render us deaf, dumb, and blind, long before it strikes.”[12]
America’s civilian society, also heavily dependent on space, is at risk. Almost nothing modern in America will work when the Chinese attack in the heavens.
How did the U.S. become so vulnerable? We start with the American military, which failed to raise the alarm when it should have seen an obvious threat. “There was a gentlemen’s agreement until recent that we didn’t mess with each other’s space systems,” Guetlein said. “We didn’t jam them, we didn’t spoof them, we didn’t lase them, we just kept them safe.”[13]
Why was the U.S. so gentlemanly? Presidents believed that because the U.S. had more space assets than others it was not in America’s interest to trigger a race to build weapons to destroy those assets. Yet this view, appearing commonsense at first glance, was naïve because it was apparent even then that neither China nor Russia could be enticed into good behavior.
“We told ourselves we would be the dominant power forever,” Weichert said. “We coasted on that notion for far too long. Rising powers, notably China and Russia, saw how reliant we were on space—and how poorly defended our systems were. Our access to the strategic high ground is now more threatened than it ever has been.”[14]
As Weichert points out, “bureaucratic inertia and a lack of visionary leadership from both political parties” allowed China and Russia to develop the capabilities to threaten America in space.[15]
China, by establishing a presence on our closest neighbor in space, is also targeting America. The China National Space Administration and Roscosmos, Russia’s space agency, plan a colony near the coveted lunar south pole, which appears to have, among other things, large quantities of ice.
Beijing and Moscow in March 2021 announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding contemplating the building of the International Lunar Research Station. China and Russia, along with partners, expect to complete the station’s first phase around 2035.
The Chinese-led effort has been impressive. China has had a moon presence since 2013, when Chang’e-3 put both a lander and rover on the surface. Chang’e 4, which landed on the moon’s far side in January 2019, has been gathering data, presumably for a permanent location. Chang’e-5 and Chang’e-6 were lunar sample-return missions.
The moon’s south pole contains some of the most valuable real estate in the solar system.
“At the south pole, the lunar ice—water—can be used to both hydrate thirsty Chinese taikonauts and Russian cosmonauts and be converted into rocket fuel for missions to Mars,” says Weichert.
“By capitalizing on this pristine real estate on the moon, China would dominate the most resource-rich, human-friendly region before the Americans could even tie on their space boots,” he says. “It would be akin to staking out all the water holes in the desert.”[16]
The American-led Artemis program also contemplates a base at the south pole. NASA has been pushing back Artemis timetables, however.[17] Unfortunately, few have been noticing the slippage.
Domination of the moon’s south pole would give China a big head start on dominating nearby planets as well. As Weichert notes, “A human base at the southern pole of the moon could be used as a launching point to get humans more quickly—and cheaply—to Mars and beyond, something that China’s Communist Party obviously desires.”[18]
Chinese control of the moon would put the United States in grave danger. Such control would confer control of cis-lunar space, the portion of space between the Earth and the moon. Control of cis-lunar space would give a country the ability to shoot down or otherwise disable deep-space satellites, which are essential for, among other things, the early warning of ballistic missile attacks.[19]
China has plans for more than just settlements on the moon. “The universe is an ocean, the moon is the Diaoyu Islands, Mars is Huangyan Island,” said Ye Peijian in 2017, referring to features in the East China and South China Seas. “If we don’t go there now even though we’re capable of doing so, then we will be blamed by our descendants. If others go there, then they will take over, and you won’t be able to go even if you want to.”[20]
Ye, then the head of China’s lunar program, essentially issued a warning, because he compared the near heavenly bodies to islands and outcroppings that Beijing claims as sovereign territory. In short, Ye Peijian made it clear that Beijing intends to exclude others from, among other places, the moon if it is in a position to do so.
China has also issued a veiled warning to those who see their future on the Red Planet. In April 2021, Beijing announced the name of its Mars rover: Zhurong.[21] Zhurong, we were told, is the Chinese god of fire. As the literal name of that planet in Chinese is “Fire Star,” “Zhurong” was certainly appropriate.
What Beijing did not say is that Zhurong is also China’s god of war and the god of the South China Sea.[22] China claims about 85% of that body of water as “blue national soil,” in other words, a part of the People’s Republic of China.
The Chinese regime, in short, plans annexation of nearby heavenly bodies.
The message was not lost on former NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. In an interview published in January 2023 in Politico, he was referring to China when he said that “we better watch out that they don’t get to a place on the moon under the guise of scientific research.” Why? “It is not beyond the realm of possibility that they say, ‘Keep out, we’re here, this is our territory.’”[23]
Nonetheless, many Americans remain oblivious of Chinese moon ambitions. One of them is the richest American, also the richest human on the planet. Elon Musk in January called American efforts to get to the moon a “distraction.”[24]He proposed going directly to Mars and already has chosen a name for the first settlement there: Terminus.[25]
President Donald Trump’s close advisor could be getting his way. Trump in his second inaugural address promised to put an American on the Red Planet. He did not then mention NASA’s ongoing moon program.
Fortunately, Trump’s pick for NASA administrator does not agree with Musk. Jared Isaacman believes the U.S. can go to both the moon and Mars, something he emphasized early last month in his confirmation hearing.[26] Says Weichert, “We have a big enough public-private ecosystem that will allow for NASA to partner with private start-ups and even the U.S. Space Force, which absolutely needs a manned spaceflight capability, to get to the moon quickly while Musk’s SpaceX focuses on getting U.S. boots on Mars.”[27]
Yes, the United States needs to do both. “Specifically, the race between the United States and China is for strategic dominance of the high ground,” says Weichert. “A key element of this involves the quest to control not only the orbits around the Earth, but also to place permanent manned facilities on the lunar surface and, eventually, on Mars. China understands both the military and economic implications of dominating space.”
Unfortunately, as Weichert points out, there is in the U.S. “a dangerous ambivalence about, even in some quarters an aversion to, space dominance.”[28] Many believe that the path forward lies not in dominance but in treaties and agreements prohibiting war in space. That’s a hopeful idea, but China’s regime has made it clear that attempting international cooperation is dangerous.
For instance, in August 2021 China conducted an unannounced test of a hypersonic glide vehicle in space. The test vehicle, according to the Financial Times, “circled the globe” before slamming into a patch of China. The nuclear-capable vehicle did not carry a nuclear weapon, but its only purpose would be to do so.[29] Putting a nuke in orbit would be a clear violation of the first sentence of Article IV of the 1967 Outer Space Treaty. China is a signatory to this pact.
It is hard to overstate what’s at stake. If China ends up dominating space, it could end up dominating just about everything else in the solar system. As Weichert says, “Unless America can take—and hold—the strategic high ground before China does, America’s status as world superpower vanishes overnight.”[30]
Gordon G. Chang is the author of Plan Red: China’s Project to Destroy America and The Coming Collapse of China. Follow him on X @GordonGChang.
[1] Mike Wall, “China’s Shenzhou 20 Astronauts Arrive at Tiangong Space Station (Video),” space.com, April 24, 2025, https://www.space.com/space-exploration/missions/chinas-shenzhou-20-astronauts-arrive-at-tiangong-space-station.
[2] Andrew Jones, “China Wants to Make Its Tiangong Space Station Bigger and Better,” space.com, October 28, 2024, https://www.space.com/china-expand-upgrade-tiangong-space-station.
[3] Andrew Jones, “China Launches Shenzhou 20 Astronauts to Tiangong Space Station (Video),” space.com, April 24, 2025, https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-spacecraft/watch-live-as-china-launches-shenzhou-20-astronauts-to-tiangong-space-station-on-april-24.
[4] Kaity Kline, “The International Space Station Retires Soon. NASA Won’t Run Its Future Replacement,” NPR, February 21, 2024, https://www.npr.org/2024/02/21/1232639289/international-space-station-retirement-space-stations-future.
[5] Richard D. Fisher, Jr., e-mail message to author, March 24, 2025.
[6] McAleese and Associates, “2025 16th Annual McAleese ‘Defense Programs’ Conference #DPC25-General Michael A. Guetlein,” YouTube, March 19, 2025, https://www.youtube.com/watch?si=Wy–wr6Eu33aHuXV&v=D-C53hIca_4&feature=youtu.be.
[7] Brett Tingley, “A Chinese Satellite Just Grappled Another and Pulled It Out of Orbit,” The War Zone, January 27, 2022, https://www.twz.com/44054/a-chinese-satellite-just-grappled-another-and-pulled-it-out-of-orbit.
[8] McAleese and Associates, “2025 16th Annual McAleese ‘Defense Programs’ Conference #DPC25-General Michael A. Guetlein,” YouTube, March 19, 2025.
[9] Richard D. Fisher, Jr., e-mail message to author, April 12, 2025.
[10] Richard D. Fisher, Jr., e-mail message to author, March 24, 2025.
[11] Richard D. Fisher, Jr., e-mail message to author, March 24, 2025.
[12] Brandon Weichert, e-mail message to author, March 23, 2025.
[13] McAleese and Associates, “2025 16th Annual McAleese ‘Defense Programs’ Conference #DPC25-General Michael A. Guetlein,” YouTube, March 19, 2025.
[14] Brandon Weichert, e-mail message to author, March 24, 2025.
[15] Brandon Weichert, e-mail message to author, March 24, 2025.
[16] Brandon Weichert, e-mail message to author, March 8, 2024.
[17] Joey Roulette, “NASA Announces Further Delays in Artemis Moon Missions,” Reuters, December 6, 2024, https://www.reuters.com/technology/space/nasa-announces-further-delays-artemis-moon-missions-2024-12-05/.
[18] Brandon Weichert, e-mail message to author, March 8, 2024.
[19] Richard D. Fisher, Jr., e-mail message to author, April 12, 2025.
[20] Brendon Hong, “China’s Looming Land Grab in Outer Space,” Daily Beast, June 22, 2018, https://www.thedailybeast.com/chinas-looming-land-grab-in-outer-space.
[21] “China’s First Mars Rover Named Zhurong,” Xinhua News Agency, April 25, 2021, https://english.www.gov.cn/news/photos/202104/25/content_WS6084c1e3c6d0df57f98d886e.html.
[22] Stephen Chen and William Zheng, “China Names Its Mars Rover Zhu Rong After Mythical God of War,” South China Morning Post (Hong Kong), April 24, 2021, https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3130918/china-names-its-mars-rover-zhu-rong-after-mythical-god-war.
[23] Bryan Bender, “‘We Better Watch Out’: NASA Boss Sounds Alarm On Chinese Moon Ambitions,” Politico, January 1, 2023, https://www.politico.com/news/2023/01/01/we-better-watch-out-nasa-boss-sounds-alarm-on-chinese-moon-ambitions-00075803.
[24] @elonmusk, X.com, January 2, 2025 at 10:36 PM, https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1875023335891026324?s=61.
[25] “Elon Musk Reveals Proposed Name for First Mars City, Shares Timeline for Starship Mission,” Economic Times (Mumbai), April 20, 2025, https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/global-trends/elon-musk-reveals-proposed-name-for-first-mars-city-shares-timeline-for-starship-mission/articleshow/120458961.cms?from=mdr.
[26] Jeff Foust, “Isaacman Says NASA Should Pursue Moon and Mars Programs Simultaneously,” SpaceNews.com, April 9, 2025, https://spacenews.com/isaacman-says-nasa-should-pursue-human-moon-and-mars-programs-simultaneously/.
[27] Brandon Weichert, e-mail message to author, April 16, 2024.
[28] Brandon Weichert, e-mail message to author, April 15, 2024.
[29] Demetri Sevastopulo and Kathrin Hille, “China Tests New Space Capability With Hypersonic Missile,” Financial Times (London), October 16, 2021, https://www.ft.com/content/ba0a3cde-719b-4040-93cb-a486e1f843fb.
[30] Brandon Weichert, e-mail message to author, April 15, 2024.
