US Satellites Capture China's Space Activities
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United States satellites recently captured "crystal-clear" images revealing increased Chinese activity in space, as both powers race to dominate this domain beyond Earth's atmosphere.
Maxar Technologies, a Colorado-based satellite imagery company, told Newsweek that its non-Earth imaging (NEI) capability provides what it describes as "advanced visual intelligence" of any object in Earth's orbit by capturing "very high-resolution" images.
Newsweek reached out to the China National Space Administration for comment via email.
Why It Matters
China is advancing several programs as the East Asian power pushes for supremacy in space, including building a network of 16 space-enabling facilities in Latin America, operating the Tiangong Space Station, and planning to send astronauts to the moon by 2030.
Facing growing challenges from China, the U.S. Space Force was established in 2019 to maintain American superiority in space. In April, a U.S. military satellite capable of maneuvering near objects in orbit was tracked buzzing a pair of Chinese satellites.
What To Know
Earlier this month, Maxar Technologies shared images of the Tiangong Space Station and the International Space Station, captured by one of its WorldView Legion satellites, on social media, saying that it is "unleashing a new era of high-fidelity, space-to-space imaging."
The level of resolution and structural clarity in these images opens new possibilities for monitoring orbital activities, the company said. "This isn't just a technical achievement; it's a critical capability for space domain awareness and monitoring activity beyond Earth."
These images of the ISS and China's Tiangong Space Station were collected by one of Maxar's WorldView Legion satellites—showcasing our ability to image mid-inclination orbits with unmatched clarity.
With sub-10 cm SSD and rapid tasking, we're unlocking new capabilities in space… pic.twitter.com/VISPVvOR5w — Maxar Technologies (@Maxar) July 1, 2025
Susanne Hake, general manager of Maxar Intelligence's U.S. Government business, later shared on social media what she described as a "crystal-clear picture" of the Chinese optical remote sensing satellite ShiJian-26, captured on June 3 by the company's WorldView Legion satellites.
"This type of resolution is revolutionary for space situational awareness," said Hake, adding that ShiJian-26 is one of China's latest-generation optical reconnaissance satellites, and that the ability to photograph it this clearly marks a new era in satellite-to-satellite observation.
According to Chinese state media, the ShiJian-26—reportedly "mainly used" to provide information services supporting national economic development—was launched aboard a rocket on May 29, a few days before it was photographed in orbit by Maxar Technologies.
Marco Langbroek, a lecturer at the Faculty of Aerospace Engineering at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, explained to Newsweek that space domain awareness, or space situational awareness, refers to "keeping an eye on what is happening in space."
This includes activities ranging from tracking active payloads and space debris to analyzing collision avoidance, predicting reentries, and characterizing objects—the latter providing information about "satellite function, behavioral intent, and predicting future behavior."
"We have to keep a close eye on what is happening in space to avoid problems, and to keep active parties in space accountable for what they are doing," said Langbroek, when asked about the importance of space situational awareness amid increasing space activities.
Regarding the "clearest NEI" Maxar Technologies has ever collected, the images provide clues about the function and capabilities of the Chinese satellite, Langbroek said, and that differences from previously launched satellites may hint at upgrades in its capacity and technology.
A Chinese Long March 2C rocket carrying the SJ-11-02 experimental orbiter of China's ShiJian satellite series blasts off from the Jiuquan satellite launch center in Jiuquan in northwest China's Gansu province on July 29, 2011.
A Chinese Long March 2C rocket carrying the SJ-11-02 experimental orbiter of China's ShiJian satellite series blasts off from the Jiuquan satellite launch center in Jiuquan in northwest China's Gansu province on July 29, 2011.
Liang Jie/Color China Photo/AP Images
What People Are Saying
Susanne Hake, general manager of Maxar Intelligence's U.S. Government business, wrote on LinkedIn: "As space becomes increasingly crowded with thousands of new satellites from multiple nations, we can now monitor satellite operations, detect modifications or threats, and provide near real-time intelligence on space-based assets in unprecedented detail."
Maxar Technologies told Newsweek: "NEI supports critical missions such as satellite commissioning, anomaly resolution, orbital threat assessments, and rendezvous and proximity operations (RPO)."
According to the U.S. Space Force, RPO enables the space vehicle to maneuver near a space object, allowing for characterization of anomalies and enhanced surveillance.
Marco Langbroek, lecturer at the Faculty of Aerospace Engineering at Delft University of Technology, told Newsweek: "Space technology has become increasingly vital for both the military and civil society. Our modern society and economies could not function without, nor can the modern military. Both military and as a society, we have therefore become very vulnerable to anything going wrong in the space domain."
What Happens Next
China's increasing space activity remains under close observation. Recently, two Chinese satellites reportedly docked in high orbit for the first time to allow refueling and servicing, extending their operational lifespan and supporting sustainable long-term operations.
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'NEOMIR would have detected asteroid 2024 YR4 about a month earlier than ground-based telescopes did,' said Richard Moissl, head of ESA's Planetary Defence Office, in a statement. 'This would have given astronomers more time to study the asteroid's trajectory and allowed them to much sooner rule out any chance of Earth impact in 2032.' NASA and other space agencies are constantly on the lookout for potentially hazardous asteroids, defined as such based on their distance from Earth and ability to cause significant damage should an impact occur. Asteroids that can't get any closer to our planet than one-twentieth of Earth's distance from the sun are not considered to be potentially hazardous asteroids, according to NASA. When the new Vera C. Rubin Observatory, located in the Andes in Chile, released its first stunning images of the cosmos in June, researchers revealed the discovery of more than 2,100 previously unknown asteroids after seven nights of those newly detected space rocks, seven were near-Earth objects. A near-Earth object is an asteroid or comet on an orbit that brings it within 120 million miles (about 190 million kilometers) of the sun, which means it has the potential to pass near Earth, according to NASA. None of the new ones detected by Rubin were determined to pose a threat to our planet. Rubin will act as a great asteroid hunter, de Wit said, while telescopes such as Webb could be a tracker that follow up on Rubin's discoveries. A proposal by Rivkin and de Wit to use Webb to observe YR4 in the spring of 2026 has just been approved. Webb is the only telescope with a chance of glimpsing the asteroid before 2028. 'This newly approved program will buy decision makers two extra years to prepare — though most likely to relax, as there is an 80% chance of ruling out impact — while providing key experience-based lessons for handling future potential impactors to be discovered by Vera Rubin,' de Wit said. And because of the twists and turns of YR4's tale thus far, asteroids that have potential to affect the moon could become objects of even more intense study in the future. 'If this really is a thing that we only have to worry about every 5,000 years or something, then maybe that's less pressing,' Rivkin said. 'But even just asking what would we do if we did see something that was going to hit the moon is at least something that we can now start thinking about.' Sign up for CNN's Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more.
