Issue 14

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China’s first launch of 2021

China opened its 2021 launch campaign by sending the Tiantong 1-03 mobile-communications satellite to geostationary orbit on a Long March 3B.

Author Greg Gillinger Published January 31, 2021

19 Jan 21: China’s first launch of 2021.

– A Chinese Long March 3B rocket launched from Xichang & deployed the Tiantong 1-03 satellite to GEO. (Launch VIDEO)

– Tiantong 1-03 is the third satellite of the communications constellation. The previous 2 satellites were launched in 2016 & 2020.

– The Tiantong constellation provides S-band mobile communications services with coverage across the Asia-Pacific region, the Middle East, and parts of Africa.

The Tiantong constellation is similar to INMARSAT and is operated by China Telecom. The launch was the first of more than 40 space missions scheduled for liftoff from China this year.

Tiantong 1-03 communications satellite.

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China launched three Yaogan military satellites

China launched a trio of Yaogan 31 military satellites on 29 January 2021, with analysts assessing the formation as a maritime-reconnaissance and signals-intelligence capability.

Author Greg Gillinger Published January 31, 2021

29 Jan 21: China launched three Yaogan military satellites on a Long March 4C rocket, adding to a fleet of spacecraft independent analysts believe are designed to spy on naval forces. (VIDEO of LM-4C preparation & Launch)

– The trio of Yaogan 31 (translated: Remote Sensing) satellites are orbiting at ~680 miles (1,100 km), with 63.4° inclination. (See Orbit)

– Yaogan 31 satellites are believed to be maritime reconnaissance satellites for tracking foreign naval movements.

– Using 3 satellites in formation allows them to intercept radio signals from the ground and calculate/track the position of warships while also studying their activity based on their radio emissions.

– Six previous Long March 4C missions in 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2018 carried similar naval surveillance satellites into space. All launched from Jiuquan to place satellite triplets into the same 680-mile-high orbit inclined 63.4° to the equator.

With this launch, there are 69 Yaogan satellites in a variety of orbits, ranging from 35° to 100° and from 480 km circular orbits to 1,200 km eccentric orbits. China launched its first Yaogan satellite in 2006 (Yaogan 1 broke up from an internal explosion in Feb 2010) and the constellation is made up of a variety of sensor types: Electro-Optical, Synthetic Aperture Radar and SIGINT.

Yaogan 31 launch on Long March 4C.

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Opinion: Rethinking the inevitable – preparing for space warfare

A January 2021 opinion piece by Doug Laverro argues that future conflicts will include attacks on space systems and that policymakers should prepare rules for anti-satellite warfare.

Author Greg Gillinger Published January 31, 2021

Jan 21: Opinion piece from Doug Laverro: future conflicts will inevitably include targets in the space domain and we must rethink how we will deal with international discussions on attacks against space systems and anti-satellite (ASAT) weapons.

– By the early 2000’s it became abundantly clear that space systems were the key link in U.S. power projection and a critical vulnerability.

– Chinese strategic writings from that period stated “for countries that can never win a war with the United States by using the method of tanks and planes, attacking U.S. space systems may be an irresistible and most tempting choice.”

– Since the Outer Space Treaty of 1967, multi-lateral space treaties, principles, and resolutions have been added to the body of space law. But no new space arms control instrument has been agreed to since that time.

In some future war, anti-Satellite activities will occur – the question we need to deal with is how that war will be fought. The aversion to the creation of large-scale, long-lived debris is simply the tacit extension of already existing prohibitions on weapons that cause indiscriminate harm, a principle that underpins many other weapons-type prohibitions. When viewed from this perspective, it seems quite likely that nations could agree on such a ban, even as they continued to permit forms of attack that did not create large-scale, long-lived debris.

Issue 14

CASC announced successful tests of a range of liquid and solid rocket engines

CASC rocket-engine development / Long March 9.

Overview: The Russian Liana constellation

Lotus-S and PION-NKS.

China’s first launch of 2021

Tiantong 1-03 communications satellite.

China launched three Yaogan military satellites

Yaogan 31 launch on Long March 4C.

Opinion: Rethinking the inevitable – preparing for space warfare

Opinion on preparing for future space warfare.

Virgin Orbit Launch Video

Virgin Orbit Launch Video.

Fun Fact: China’s commercial launch industry

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