US satellites of the Geosynchronous Space Situational Awareness Program (GSSAP) carried out at least 14 close reconnaissance missions to spy on the most valuable and advanced Chinese satellites placed in geostationary orbit (GEO). ), between February 2020 and December 2021, SCMP reported this Friday citing a recent study.
The study, carried out by a team of Chinese scientists and led by researcher Cai Sheng, from the Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics and Physics, was published this April in the Chinese journal Infrared and Laser Engineering and details that “the frequent GSSAP satellite close-ups of high-value Chinese space assets pose a serious threat to their security.”
“In a series of space defense and attack technology tests, the US military revealed its ability and intent to disrupt China’s use of space,” the article said.
The scientists listed the cases of espionage carried out by American satellites. Thus, on February 26, 2020, a GSSAP satellite approached a Chinese space tracking and data relay satellite, Tianlian 2-01.
The US satellites also came close to another of the BD-2 G8 class of the BeiDou Navigation System (BDS), the Chinese equivalent of the US GPS system, and also the SJ-20, a high-performance communications satellite. which provides broadband Internet access to users in China and other Asian countries. The Chinese satellites examined by the US are of significant importance to China as they serve critical national security, economic and scientific objectives.
In addition, the Chinese scientists, in their study, revealed the US Government’s classified data on the capabilities of a GSSAP satellite. The information, which can now be used by other countries to hinder its future operation, included the size of the satellite’s camera lenses, the resolution of the image sensors, its ability to detect and track other satellites, and its medium. communication with ground stations. with RT