U.S. military sees China’s reusable rocket push as a space security concern

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — At a time when the United States dominates reusable rocket technology, U.S. military officials are warning that China’s rapid progress in the field could one day erode that lead and reshape the strategic balance in orbit.

Speaking at the Air & Space Forces Association’s annual conference on Sept. 22, senior Space Force leaders said Beijing’s pursuit of reusable orbital rockets underscores the national security value of the technology — and raises alarm about how China might use it once it reaches maturity.

When it comes to space technologies, “China has moved their development to the left … And it is concerning how fast they’ve done it,” said Brig. Gen. Brian Sidari, deputy chief of space operations for intelligence at the U.S. Space Force.

Reusable rockets have dramatically lowered launch costs and increased launch frequency, thanks largely to SpaceX’s pioneering work. The U.S. has relied on that advantage to rapidly deploy satellites, replenish constellations and build out broadband networks such as Starlink. China, meanwhile, sees reusability as a linchpin for its own ambitions.

Sidari said the real concern will come when the Chinese “figure out how to do reusable lift that allows them to put more capability on orbit at a quicker pace and cadence.” He added that once Beijing reaches that threshold, they will take a page from the U.S. industry in deploying megaconstellations. “So that does concern me,” he said. “It’s easier said than done, so they do have to figure it out.”

For now, the United States retains the upper hand. Beyond SpaceX, companies like Blue Origin and Rocket Lab are working to scale reusable systems, though they remain far from matching SpaceX’s cadence. But officials believe China’s eventual adoption of reusable technology could enable rapid, large-scale deployment of both commercial and military satellites — reducing America’s current lead.

New satellite developments

Chief Master Sgt. Ron Lerch, Sidari’s senior enlisted advisor and an intelligence specialist, called Beijing’s progress in other areas of space technology equally troubling. He pointed to a recent in-orbit refueling operation in the geostationary belt by China’s Shijian-21 and Shijian-25 spacecraft, describing it as “game changing” for a country that still lacks reusability.

“And so when it comes to replenishing our toolkit, getting more capability, reconstitution, having reusable launch is what affords us that ability, and the Chinese don’t have that,” Lerch said.

Still, China is moving rapidly in other orbital domains. Lerch highlighted the Sept. 9 launch of Yaogan 45, a remote sensing satellite Beijing has described as a platform for scientific experiments and disaster prevention. U.S. officials, however, are focused on its placement.

“It’s a remote sensing system, but if you look at where it’s actually being put in the slot, it’s in MEO,” Lerch said, referring to medium Earth orbit. “So this is 2,000 kilometers above Earth, very unusual to put a remote sensing satellite higher than low Earth orbit. And so that alone is very interesting.”

The United States has long been the only power to use medium Earth orbit for satellite operations. Lerch said China began launching Skynet broadband satellites into MEO in 2024, followed this year by a move to add remote sensing capability there as well. “It looks like a year ago, they started to put the infrastructure at MEO to be able to move around data. And a year later, the Chinese are now putting remote sensing capability at MEO as well. That’s interesting, and that starts to paint a picture that they value remote sensing to the point where they want resiliency and layers of it.”

Beyond MEO, the Space Force is also tracking China’s TJS satellites. Officially billed as communication and broadcasting systems, U.S. observers believe they are being used for electronic intelligence, missile warning, and other military purposes.

“This year alone, the Chinese have put about five of them on orbit, which is highly unusual compared to previous years,” Lerch said. “More importantly, these spacecraft that are sitting at GEO are not supposed to be sliding all around the GEO belt, but the history of these experimental spacecraft has shown that that’s exactly what they do, which is very uncharacteristic for a system that’s supposed to be providing satellite communications.”

‘Redshift’ report

The concerns voiced by Sidari and Lerch echo warnings issued last week in a report from the Commercial Space Federation, titled “Redshift: The Acceleration of China’s Commercial and Civil Space Enterprise & The Challenge to America.” The report concluded that China’s rapidly expanding commercial and civil space sector “poses a significant and immediate challenge to U.S. leadership in the domain.”

The report singled out reusable rocket technology as a priority for Chinese industry, noting that private firms are developing larger, liquid-propellant systems designed to deploy broadband megaconstellations. Such constellations, the report said, could eventually rival SpaceX’s Starlink network.