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US’ X-37B space plane could be armed to ‘kill’ in orbit, Chinese researchers warn
The United States is seeking to dominate space with its reusable shuttle-like craft, commentary says
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Alcott Weiin Beijing
The United States is angling for space supremacy and will escalate the space race with repeated tests of its new shuttle-like plane, according to researchers from China’s Space Engineering University.
In a commentary in military mouthpiece the PLA Daily on Friday, the researchers said the X-37B space plane had the potential to be weaponised as a “space killer” and the tests of the craft highlighted the United States’ ambitions to pursue space supremacy.
The US conducted its eighth test mission for the X-37B last month, launching it aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
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The US military said that the mission would show cutting-edge technology such as space-based laser communications and quantum navigation to improve the resilience, efficiency and security of space communications systems.
SpaceX deploys first dummy satellites
SpaceX deploys first dummy satellites
This technology allows satellites to send data between each other or with ground stations, achieving higher bandwidth and faster data transmission than traditional radio frequency communications.
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