Ryan Chan
The space race between the United States and China remains contested, with their satellites taking turns tracking each other in Earth's orbit, according to latest imagery.
"Satellite-to-satellite imaging is becoming increasingly common as space operations and technologies evolve," Maxar Technologies—a U.S. satellite imagery company whose satellite was captured in images by a Chinese counterpart—told Newsweek.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a written request for comment.
Why It Matters
Space is part of the broader strategic competition between the U.S. and China, where both countries seek dominance. Following the establishment of the U.S. Space Force in 2019, the Chinese People's Liberation Army founded the Aerospace Force in 2024, tasked with integrating space-based surveillance, targeting and offensive capabilities.
U.S. and Chinese military and space operations have often been captured in satellite imagery in recent years, including American force deployments at strategic bases and China's reconnaissance satellite, providing the public with rare insight into sensitive and secretive activities and demonstrating both nations' space situational awareness.
What To Know
China's Chang Guang Satellite Technology shared images taken by its Jilin-1 satellites on September 8, showing a Maxar Technologies WorldView Legion 2 satellite. One of the WorldView Legion satellites also captured imagery of China's ShiJian-26 satellite in June.
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