Pentagon And State Support Lifting Some Controls On U.S. Satellite Exports

The Star Fighters -- Washington Free Beacon

Administration report warns that loosening exports on space technology could boost China’s space warfare capabilities.

China is building space weapons designed to defeat U.S. and allied long-range missiles, and U.S. plans to loosen controls on satellite exports likely will boost Beijing’s space warfare programs, according to a Obama administration report made public on Wednesday.

The report warned that if the U.S. government relaxes controls on satellite exports and related items, “China would purchase and acquire more of these items, and in turn, further reduce the technological edge of the United States’ and its allies’ space assets,” the report said.

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Update: DoD, State Want Easier Satellite Exports; PRC Still Banned From Launching US Birds -- Aol Defense

My Comment: My prediction .... the White House will proceed with lifting the many controls that are in place to limit critical technology transfers .... and then a a few years from now .... we will be writing and reading stories on how did China get access to US space tech and info.

U.S. Heavily Dependent On Military Space Technology

Hearings Show Our Dependence On Military Space Technology -- Washington Post

The United States may be falling behind in transportation, education and health care down here on Earth, but its military infrastructure is certainly way ahead when it comes to imagery and communications satellites armed with defensive and offensive capabilities out there in space.

That the United States leads in the militarization of space is apparent from House and Senate Armed Services subcommittee hearings this month on the fiscal 2013 budget of $9.7 billion for military space programs.

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My Comment: Not everyone is optimistic that the U.S. will be able to hold the "high-ground" in the future.

Air Force X-37B Hits The One Year Mark In Space

Revealed: How America's Secret Space Plane Has Been In Orbit For Over A Year - And No One Knows What It's Doing -- Daily Mail

* The X-37B has been circling the Earth at 17,000mph and was due to land in California in December

The U.S Air Force’s highly secret unmanned space plane was supposed to stay in space for nine months, but it’s now been there for a year and three days – and no one knows what it’s doing.

The experimental craft has been circling Earth at 17,000 miles per hour and was due to land in California in December.

However the mission of the X-37B orbital test vehicle was extended – for unknown reasons.

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Previous Post: U.S. Air Force's Second X-37B Space Plane Marks One Year In Orbit

More News On The X-37B

Air Force space drone's secret mission hits one-year mark -- L.A. Times
Air Force's mysterious space plane survives one year in orbit -- MSNBC/Space.com
A year later, mysterious space plane is still in orbit -- Wired
The Air Force's Mysterious X-37B Spaceplane Celebrates Its First Full Year in Orbit -- Popular Science
Secret Military Mini-Shuttle Marks One Year in Orbit -- Discovery News
US Air Force’s Mysterious Space Plane Has Been In Orbit For A Whole Year -- Gizmodo
What Next for X-37B -- Space Travel

As Space Collision Threat Looms, Pentagon Upgrades Its Monitoring of Satellites

Space Junk An artist's impression of space debris in low-Earth orbit. The U.S. government wants a better surveillance system to keep track of the thousands of space junk pieces. ESA

From Popular Science:

The U.S. Air Force has upgraded its ability to predict possible satellite collisions, as the risk from space debris increases.

Satellites currently must dodge an ever-growing gauntlet of other satellites and clouds of space debris, and this year the Pentagon has quietly upgraded its surveillance accordingly. The U.S. military announced yesterday that it now tracks 800 maneuverable satellites, compared to less than 100 prior to a February collision between an active U.S. satellite and a retired Russian communications satellite.

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China Planning Military Outpost in Orbit

The first public appearance of China's military space station concept.
(Image from Spaceflight.now)

From Discovery News/Space:

China is speeding up plans to launch and operate a space station in Earth orbit and turning over the project to military control, according to reports from the official Chinese news agency Xinhua and SpaceflightNow.com.

The 8.5-ton laboratory, called Tiangong -- Chinese for "heavenly palace" -- is slated for launch before the end of next year. Its first crew would arrive in 2011.

"The People's Liberation Army's General Armament Department aims to finish systems for the Tiangong-1 mission this year," the Chinese government said in an official statement.

The design was unveiled during a nationally televised Chinese New Year broadcast, writes Spaceflightnow's Craig Covault.

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My Comment: So much for not militarizing space. This is an acceleration of a program that many thought was years from fruition.

Surprise, it is happening sooner than what was expected.