Showcasing Advanced Space Capabilities, China Displays ‘Dogfighting’ Maneuvers in Low Earth Orbit

Looking to seize the high ground in a possible military conflict with the United States, China has launched another space race. On March 18, U.S. Vice Chief of Space Operations Gen. Michael Guetlein revealed that Chinese satellites and spacecraft had practiced “dogfighting” maneuvers designed to replicate the tracking and disabling of U.S. space assets during a possible military crisis.

The exercises, which come as Beijing has raised the profile of its military space capabilities and expanded its support for private space firms, highlight the growing risks posed to U.S. space infrastructure.

China Practices Satellite ‘Dogfighting’

The operation, which reportedly occurred in 2024, involved three Chinese experimental satellites and two experimental spacecraft operating in concert with one another to practice a series of maneuvers while in low Earth orbit. According to Gen. Guetlein, these maneuvers, which featured synchronized deployments within close proximity, were similar to aerial dogfighting and intended to practice “tactics, techniques and procedures to do on-orbit space operations from one satellite to another.”

The Chinese maneuvers align with previous efforts to demonstrate Beijing’s maturing anti-satellite capabilities. Having successfully tested a direct-ascent anti-satellite missile (ASAT) in 2007, Beijing has rapidly developed greater space-based military capabilities, launching a geosynchronous ASAT in 2013 while accelerating its deployment of dual-use satellites. China has also expanded the role of space-based assets as part of its overall military posture, having created an independent Aerospace Force in April 2024 directly under the Central Military Commission, the military’s leading decision-making body.

Beijing Continues to Invest in Space Capabilities

Gen. Guetlein’s announcement comes as China has rapidly built up both its civilian and military space capabilities. Seeking to make Beijing a world leader in space by 2050, the Chinese Communist Party released a 25-year plan in October 2024 for future space exploration, including plans to land on the moon by 2030, while offering significant support to private space firms. These efforts also extend to bolstering China’s overall space-related military capabilities, including reportedly constructing dual-use ground-based tracking stations in Argentina.

Along with building up its own domestic capabilities, China has often relied on Russia to pursue its increasingly ambitious space agenda. Both Moscow and Beijing have announced joint plans to construct a shared lunar research base by the early 2030s, countering America’s proposed Artemis Program, which would include a permanent presence on the moon by 2028. Moreover, both countries are also likely working to acquire space-based missile systems, with China having previously tested a space-launched hypersonic weapon in 2021 and Russia reportedly seeking to obtain a space-based nuclear capability.

U.S. Must Prioritize Defending Space Infrastructure

In response, the United States must defend the country’s space-based infrastructure while deterring Beijing and Moscow. The Trump administration should designate U.S. space systems, including ground-based sensors, payloads, data, and space vehicles, as critical infrastructure while mandating that NASA become the lead sector risk management agency tasked with coordinating protection efforts.

The administration, working with Congress, should also focus on ensuring that both NASA and the Space Force can fulfill their often complementary missions of space innovation and space superiority. These efforts should include fully funding NASA, including its science missions, which provide the basis for cutting-edge innovations and advances in aeronautics research. Likewise, Congress should ensure that the Space Force can expand its launch capabilities and capitalize on commercial innovations, both of which have become increasingly contested by China’s expanded space program.

Jack Burnham is a research analyst in the China Program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD). For more analysis from Jack and FDD, please subscribe HERE. Follow Jack on X @JackBurnham802. Follow FDD on X @FDD. FDD is a Washington, DC-based, nonpartisan research institute focusing on national security and foreign policy.