The Militarization Of Space Continues

An artist illustration shows the functions of the Space Development Agency’s satellite constellation. Space Development Agency  

CNBC: Pentagon space arm awards $1.5 billion contract to Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman for communications satellites 

* The Pentagon’s Space Development Agency on Monday awarded $1.5 billion in contracts to Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman for prototype communications satellites. 

* The 72 satellites will be for a Beta variant in part of SDA’s growing constellation, a network the U.S. military is building to provide encrypted communications through a fleet of hundreds of satellites. 

* Lockheed’s contract is worth $816 million, and Northrop’s is worth $733 million. 

The Pentagon’s Space Development Agency on Monday awarded $1.5 billion in contracts to Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman for prototype communications satellites. 

SDA said the 72 satellites will be for the Beta variant of its Tranche 2 Transport Layer constellation, a network the U.S. military is building to provide encrypted communications through a fleet of hundreds of satellites, which it calls the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture. 

Lockheed and Northrop will each build 36 of the prototype satellites, scheduled to begin launching by September 2026. Lockheed’s contract is worth $816 million, and Northrop’s is worth $733 million. 

An SDA spokesperson told CNBC that the agency received six proposals for the contract.  

Read more .... 

The Militarization Of Space Continues 

Lockheed, Northrop share $1.5 billion contract for new transport satellites -- Defense One  

Space Development Agency awards contracts to Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman for 72 satellites -- Space News  

Pentagon awards contracts for next 'swarm' of tiny missile defense satellites -- UPI  

Space Development Agency awards $1.5 billion for transport satellites -- C4ISRNET

Should The Pentagon Rely On Private Companies For Rocket Launches

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk discusses U.S. space operations with NORAD commander U.S. Air Force Gen. Terrence O’Shaughnessy, and his deputy, Royal Canadian Air Force Lt. Gen. Christopher Coates, in Colorado Springs, Colo., on April 15, 2019. U.S. Northern Command  

Defense One: The Pentagon Is Increasingly Relying on Billionaires’ Rockets. And It’s OK with That.  

Space Force leaders say carefully written contracts can prevent things like SpaceX’s about-face on Ukrainian satcomms. 

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado—The U.S. Space Force is not concerned about relying on mercurial billionaires to provide space capabilities, according to top service leaders. 

The service’s ability to put large satellites in space rests primarily on the shoulders of Elon Musk, whose SpaceX test-flew a new heavy-lift rocket for the first time on Thursday, and Jeff Bezos, whose Blue Origin is slated to deliver engines to United Launch Alliance. 

A potential problem is illustrated by Musk’s behavior toward Ukraine. In the months that followed Russia’s invasion, SpaceX donated some 20,000 of its satellite internet terminals and millions of dollars’ worth of service to the Ukrainian military. But in October, SpaceX wrote the Pentagon that it would cease its subsidy. Three months after that, Starlink officials said they had taken steps to hinder Ukraine’s use of the terminals on the battlefield; Musk declared, in apparent contradiction of Starlink’s work for the Pentagon, that the service was “never intended to be weaponized.” Ukrainian and Pentagon officials have said they would seek alternatives to Starlink.  

Read more ....  

WNU Editor: It all comes down to cost. SpaceX has brought down the price of launching rockets by a factor of 10x. That saves the Pentagon hundreds of millions, if not billions, over the next few years.

China Aims To Launch Nearly 13,000 Satellites To Compete Against Elon Musk’s Starlink

Launch of a Long March-2F Y12 rocket in June 2021.  

SCMP: China aims to launch nearly 13,000 satellites to ‘suppress’ Elon Musk’s Starlink, researchers say 

* The satellite constellation is likely to be launched quickly to prevent SpaceX from hogging 'low-orbit resources', according to PLA space scientists 

* The project, code-named 'GW', would provide internet services and could be used to spy on rival networks and carry out anti-Starlink missions, paper says 

Researchers say China plans to build a huge satellite network in near-Earth orbit to provide internet services to users around the world - and to stifle Elon Musk's Starlink. 

The project has the code name "GW", according to a team led by associate professor Xu Can with the People's Liberation Army's (PLA) Space Engineering University in Beijing. But what these letters stand for is unclear. 

The GW constellation will include 12,992 satellites owned by the newly established China Satellite Network Group Co, Xu and his colleagues said in a paper about anti-Starlink measures published in the Chinese journal Command Control and Simulation on February 15.  

Read more .... 

WNU Editor: For the past few years China has made public their concerns that Starlink could be a strategic and military threat. It now looks like they are developing plans to counter it. 

Bottom line. 

Earth's low orbit is about to get crowded with a lot of satellites in the next few years. 

 China Aims To Launch Nearly 13,000 Satellites To Compete Against Elon Musk’s Starlink  

China Is Trying to Quickly Launch 13,000 Satellites to Defeat Starlink -- Popular Mechanics  

Project 'GW': China to thwart Starlink influence with '13,000' satellites -- Interesting Engineering  

Watch Out, Elon: China Could Launch 13,000 Satellites to Disrupt Starlink -- Gizmodo

A Secretive U.S. Military Space Agency Steps Out Of The Shadows

A SpaceX Falcon Heavy on Jan. 15 ,2023, launched USSF-67, a national security mission carrying multiple payloads, including three developed by the Space Rapid Capabilities Office. Credit: SpaceX  

Space News: Secretive military space agency stepping out of the shadows  

When a SpaceX Falcon Heavy launched a national security mission to geostationary Earth orbit Jan. 15, the Space Force revealed that three of the payloads onboard were developed by one of its most secretive agencies, the Space Rapid Capabilities Office. 

The announcement was unusual as the Space RCO, based at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, operates under the radar and rarely advertises what it does. 

Kelly Hammett, director of the Space RCO, said the decision to publicize the satellites on the USSF-67 mission is part of a broader effort to start shedding the office’s cloak of secrecy. 

“We’re going to be a little bit more open about what we do,” he told Space News in a recent interview.  

Read more ....  

WNU Editor: An admission. I follow military space programs and services very closely, and I never heard of the Space Rapid Capabilities Office.

US Defense Giants Want To Buy Space companies

A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket sits atop a launch pad at the Kennedy Space Center. (SpaceX) 

Space News: Defense giants are hungry for space companies 

TAMPA, Fla. — Large defense companies are itching to buy space assets as part of the market is on the verge of a shake-out, executives discussing deal-making in the industry said Feb. 8. 

Phillip Ingle, a managing director in Morgan Stanley’s investment banking division, highlighted large “appetite for the big primes to get their hands on attractive space assets” during the SmallSat Symposium in Mountain View, California. 

U.S. Department of Defense budgets orientated “towards space are growing much more healthfully than other parts of the defense budget,” Ingle said, encouraging primes “to grow their space businesses because that’s where a lot of the growth is.” 

Defense giants Raytheon and L3 Harris have set up venture capital arms in recent years to capture emerging technology, he noted, following the steps of Boeing and Lockheed Martin.  

Read more ....  

WNU Editor: Maybe SpaceX is up for sale .... SpaceX raising $750 million at a $137 billion valuation, investors include Andreessen-Horowitz (CNBC).

A Mysterious Russian Satellite Broke Apart Early Last Month Generating A Cloud Of Debris

#18SDS has confirmed the breakup of COSMOS 2499 (#39765, 2014-028E) - occurred Jan 4, 2023 at appx 0357 UTC. Tracking 85 associated pieces at est 1169 km altitude - analysis ongoing. #spacedebris #space @SpaceTrackOrg @US_SpaceCom @ussfspoc

— 18th Space Defense Squadron (@18thSDS) February 7, 2023

Space.com: Mysterious Russian satellite breaks up in orbit, generating cloud of debris 

Kosmos 2499 broke apart in early January, according to the U.S. Space Force. 

A mysterious Russian satellite broke apart early last month, creating a cloud of debris that could linger in Earth orbit for a while. 

The Kosmos 2499 spacecraft disintegrated on the night of Jan. 3, according to the U.S. Space Force's 18th Space Defense Squadron (18th SDS), which tracks human-made objects in orbit. 

The breakup event generated at least 85 pieces of trackable debris, 18th SDS said via Twitter on Monday (opens in new tab) (Feb. 6). 

That cloud of space junk is orbiting 726 miles (1,169 kilometers) above Earth — so high that it'll likely take a century or more (opens in new tab) for atmosphere drag to bring it down.  

Read more ....  

WNU Editor: At an altitude of 1169 km that debris is going to stay in earth orbit for a very long time.

 A Mysterious Russian Satellite Broke Apart Early Last Month Generating A Cloud Of Debris  

Russian satellite breaks up in orbit, debris may last 100+ years -- Business Insider  

Debris from shattered Russian satellite could stay in orbit for decades -- National Post  

Space Force Tracks Debris After Secretive Russian Satellite Breaks Up in Orbit -- CNET  

Mysterious Russian Satellite Explodes -- Futurism

Virgin Orbit Rocket Launch Ends In Failure

 

Space.com: Virgin Orbit rocket suffers anomaly during 1st launch from UK  

The launch from Spaceport Cornwall in England did not go as planned. 

NEWQUAY, U.K. — The first-ever orbital mission to lift off from the United Kingdom did not go as planned. 

That flight, the "Start Me Up" mission by Virgin Orbit, started out well enough. The company's carrier plane, known as Cosmic Girl, lifted off from Spaceport Cornwall here on schedule Monday (Jan. 9) at 5:02 p.m. EST (2202 GMT).  

Cosmic Girl dropped Virgin Orbit's 70-foot-long (21 meters) LauncherOne rocket at 6:09 p.m. EST (2309 GMT), while the plane was off Ireland's southwest coast. The rocket's first stage did its job, and LauncherOne's two stages separated as planned about 3.5 minutes after the drop.  

Read more .... 

WNU editor: When you fail at something there is only one thing that you must then do. You learn what went wrong, and you try again. 

Virgin Orbit Rocket Launch Ends In Failure  

UK space industry mulls setback after satellite launch fails -- AP  

UK space launch: Historic Cornwall rocket launch ends in failure -- BBC  

UK air accident officials to investigate failure to get satellites into orbit -- The Guardian  

The first-ever UK space flight fails to reach orbit -- Endgadget

The Pentagon's Concerns On China's Space Program Has Even Caught The Attention Of Jeff Bezos

China’s network of space surveillance sensors. Credit: U.S. Space Systems Command 

Space News: Space Force briefing on military space race catches Jeff Bezos’ attention 

WASHINGTON — U.S. Space Systems Command officials earlier this month gave an unclassified briefing to Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos on the power competition taking place in the space domain. 

Executives from the space company Blue Origin heard the briefing in September at a Space Systems Command industry meeting in Los Angeles. “The Blue Origin team was so impressed that they requested that SSC brief Jeff Bezos,” Col. Joseph Roth, the command’s director of innovation and prototyping, said Oct. 19 at the Space Industry Days conference hosted by AFCEA Los Angeles. 

The briefing was conducted by SMSgt. Ron Lerch, senior enlisted leader of Space Systems Command’s intelligence directorate.  

Read more ....  

WNU Editor: Jeff Bezos is not the only person that the Pentagon wants to be involved with .... Elon Musk's SpaceX, Pentagon to Deepen Ties Despite Dispute on Starlink Funding in Ukraine (WSJ).

US And China Are Looking At The Same Moon Landing Sites

A map of the south polar region of the moon showing 13 landing regions NASA is considering for Artemis 3. Credit: NASA  

Space News: NASA and China are eyeing the same landing sites near the lunar south pole 

HELSINKI — China and the United States have identified overlapping potential landing sites at the south pole of the moon as both countries ramp up their lunar exploration ambitions. 

The partially intersecting plans for lunar landings highlight the new interest in particular lunar resources and pose questions as to how competing countries implement and coordinate their respective moon exploration plans. 

NASA earlier this month announced the selection of 13 potential locations for the Artemis 3 crewed mission which is currently scheduled to launch in late 2025. 

NASA candidate landing sites, each about 15 by 15 kilometers, are located within six degrees of latitude of the south pole. 

Meanwhile, a Chinese journal article on potential lunar south pole landing sites, authored by Chang’e-4 lunar mission commander Zhang He and others, identifies 10 suitable spots near the lunar south pole. The sites are thought to be related to the country’s Chang’e-7 mission, currently scheduled for 2024.  

Read more ....  

WNU Editor: The moon race is on .... US-China in a heated tit-for-tat moon race (Asia Times). More here .... Not just Artemis: China and Russia plan to put boots on the moon, too (Space.com). 

US And China Are Looking At The Same Moon Landing Sites  

Space wars? NASA and China are eyeing some of the SAME landing sites near the moon's south pole as the rivals may compete for limited lunar resources in coming years -- Daily Mail  

NASA and China Want to Land on the Same Areas on the Moon -- Gizmodo  

Awkward! The US and China Are Looking at the Same Moon Landing Sites -- Futurism  

NASA calls on China to be 'open and transparent' with its lunar missions after revelation that its potential landing sites OVERLAP with US destinations on the moon's south pole -- Daily Mail 

NASA, China to Have Same Moon Landing Locations; Will This Be A Problem? Here's Why They Overlapped -- Tech Times

The US And China Reportedly Want The Same Moon Landing Sites: “This Could Be The First Potential Point of Conflict Over Resources Beyond Earth” -- The Mind Unleashed

UK Releases Its ‘Space Power’ Doctrine

Gen. James Dickinson, U.S. Space Command commander (right) and Air Vice Marshal Paul Godfrey, United Kingdom space command commander (left), sign a Memorandum of Understanding between the United States and United Kingdom on April 6, 2022. Credit: U.S. Space Command 

Space News: UK releases military ‘space power’ doctrine 

The UK military doctrine says space power is 'part of a wider, whole-of-government strategy' 

WASHINGTON — The United Kingdom on Sept. 1 released “UK Space Power,” the military’s keystone doctrine publication focused on the space domain. 

The 91-page public document lays out in broad terms the role of the UK military in protecting space from foreign threats and provides “a basis for understanding the utility of the space domain in the military context,” the paper says. A central message is that space is a global domain; and military, civil and commercial space activities are intertwined.  

Read more ....  

WNU Editor: The US military 'space power' doctrine report is here .... UK Space Power.

Mystery Crash On The Moon Baffles NASA Scientists

A mysterious rocket crashed into the moon on March 4, leaving behind a 'double crater,' NASA reported. NASA/Goddard/Arizona State University  

Chron.com: 'Mystery rocket' that crashed into the Moon baffles NASA scientists  

So far, no space exploring nations have claimed responsibility for the rocket. 

NASA has discovered the crash site of a "mystery rocket body" that collided with the Moon's surface earlier this year. The impact left behind a widespread "double crater," meaning it wasn't the average rocket. 

However, since its crash landing, none of Earth's space-exploring nations have claimed responsibility for the mysterious projectile, leaving NASA scientists baffled as to who was behind its launch. New images shared on June 24 by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter show the unusual impact site.  

Read more ....  

WNU Editor: I love a good mystery. More from NASA.

Russia To Pull Out Of International Space Station

Russia is set to pull out of the International Space Station and will no longer work with NASA and ESA (pictured: a view of the International Space Station taken on March 30, 2022 by crew of Russian Soyuz MS-19 space ship after undocking from the Station)  

Daily Mail: Russia will quit the International Space Station due to economic sanctions over war in Ukraine 

* General Director of Roscosmos Dmitry Rogozin confirmed the news earlier today 

* He did not specify a date for Russia's pullout, but a year's notice must be given 

* A Russian pullout from the International Space Station would pose a serious challenge for NASA, ESA and other space agencies to maintain the operation 

Russia is set to pull out of the International Space Station and will no longer work with NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA), according to the head of its space programme. 

General Director of Roscosmos Dmitry Rogozin told Russian state TV earlier today that Moscow will no longer co-operate with its international partners aboard the ISS, confirming that the decision to withdraw has already been taken. 

He said Roscosmos is not required to give an exact date of its withdrawal, but affirmed the Russian space programme will adhere to the stipulated year-long notice period.  

Read more ....  

Update #1: Russia Will Quit International Space Station Over Sanctions (Bloomberg)  

Update #2: Russia will pull out of the International Space Station over economic sanctions: report (Business Insider)  

WNU Editor: Not surprised by this announcement. Russia must now give a year notice before leaving the program.

New Study Says A Cold War Space Arms Race Is Back

Breaking Defense: Cold War space arms race is back, with more racers, new studies find 

One of the most worrisome trends reported by the Secure World Foundation and Center for Strategic and International Studies is the increase in the number of countries seeking to develop counterspace capabilities. 

SPACE SYMPOSIUM: Not only are more countries racing to develop counterspace capabilities, but the testing of anti-satellite technology has been on an upward trend in recent years, according to new, separate research by Secure World Foundation and the Center for Strategic and International Studies. 

 “This is a return to some of the competition and the arms racing we saw during the Cold War between the US and Soviet Union. Of course, the difference now is: there’s lots more countries involved,” said SWF’s Brian Weeden.  

Read more .... 

 Update: The space arms race keeps accelerating, new reports warn (Space News)  

Update #2: Experts say Russia’s use of counterspace capabilities could make 2022 a ‘pivotal’ year for space security (Defense News)  

WNU Editor: The reports are here .... Global Counterspace Capabilities Report, and here .... Space threat Assessment 2022.

UK Military Warns About Risk Of Nuclear Attacks From Space

(Defence Images)  

Zero Hedge: UK Military Warns About Risk Of Nuclear Attacks From Space In New Report 

As an increasingly ambitious China and Russia develop stronger weapons capabilities including hypersonic missiles that can hit a target on the other side of the planet after briefly exiting earth's atmosphere, it's not surprise that more western governments are reexamining their capabilities - both offensive and defensive - along humanity's "final frontier" - space. 

 In in a new report published by Britain's Ministry of Defense this week, authorities warn that aggressors could potentially develop capabilities to launch an "exo-atmospheric nuclear strike" that could result in a civilization-ending - or "permanent kill" to use their terms - scenario.  

Read more .... 

 Update: UK preparing for ‘exo-atmospheric nuclear attack’ as greatest threat in space war, government report warns (The Independent)

 WNU Editor: The UK report is below: 

20220120-UK Defence Space S... by Joseph Adinolfi

Is The U.S. Losing The Space Race To China?

In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, the Shenzhou-13 manned spaceship onto of a Long March-2F carrier rocket prepares to be transferred to the launching area of Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China, Oct. 7. | Wang Jiangbo/Xinhua 

Politico: ‘We’re falling behind’: 2022 seen as a pivotal lap in the space race with China 

Washington and Beijing are jockeying for advantage — and international partners — to develop the moon. 

The new year could be a turning point in what’s steadily defining the next chapter in the space age: The fierce competition between the United States and China for economic and military dominance. 

Washington, D.C., and Beijing are jockeying for advantage — and international partners — to develop the moon and are locked in what increasingly looks like an arms race that could threaten the growth of satellite constellations and space stations. And so far, international efforts to reduce tensions and encourage sustainable growth in low-Earth orbit and beyond have made little progress. 

"We are in a race that we might win but it is certainly conceivable that China may advance in certain areas of space faster than we do," said Sen. Jerry Moran of Kansas, the top Republican on the Commerce Subcommittee on Space and Science. "It is to our advantage to do everything to see that for at least the things we determine to be significantly important, we achieve as quickly as possible and hopefully before our adversaries do." 

Read more ....  

WNU Editor: A sign of things to come. China had a record breaking year in space launches .... China closes record-breaking year with orbital launches from Jiuquan and Xichang (Space News).  

Update: China Releases Astonishing Images Of Mars Taken By Tianwen-1 Spacecraft (Zero Hedge).

Has Elon Musk Become The Dominant Military Power In Space?

A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket, carrying the Arabsat 6A communications satellite, lifts off from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, April 11, 2019. Thom Baur/Reuters  

Seeking Alpha: SpaceX's Starlink Satellites Are Getting On China's Nerves 

Summary: 

* SpaceX's Starlink promises to be the world's largest satellite internet constellation, with 12,000 satellites in low earth orbit all told. 

* Despite having less than 2,000 satellites in orbit presently, Starlink has already proven to be a nuisance for others involved in space exploration and space economy. 

* China's new space station has had two near-misses with Starlink satellites this year, leading the Chinese government to complain to the United Nations. 

* Starlink is the linchpin of SpaceX's future profitability, underpinning the private firm's $100 billion valuation. 

* In addition to the vast cost of, and questionable demand for, Starlink weighing on SpaceX's future, the company must also contend with mounting political and diplomatic risk. 

In the span of less than two decades, Space Exploration Technologies (SPACE) has grown from a niche rocket startup into a key leader of the American aerospace industry. 

In the process, SpaceX (as the company is more widely known) has solidified its status as a pioneer of 21st century spaceflight, while its founder and boss, Elon Musk, has risen to become the face of the emerging space economy.  

Read more ....  

WNU Editor: Glenn Reynolds is onto something .... I think China just figured out that, without even trying, Elon Musk has become the dominant military power in space, with thousands of satellites that can be steered to collide with anything else in low earth orbit (link here).

Welcome To The New Space Race

The Yutu 2 rover, as seen by the Chang'e 4 lander. (Image credit: CNSA)  

Space.com: China has moon's south pole in its sights with 3 missions launching this decade 

Plans incorporate landers, orbiters, rovers and even hopping probes. 

China has formally approved three missions targeting the south pole of the moon, with the first to launch around 2024. 

The missions dubbed Chang'e 6, Chang'e 7 and Chang'e 8 will launch across the 2020s, each with different goals and an array of spacecraft. The trio make up the so-called fourth phase for the Chinese lunar exploration program, which most recently landed on the moon last December with a sample-return mission dubbed Chang'e 5. 

Wu Yanhua, deputy head of the China National Space Administration (CNSA), told China Central Television (CCTV) in a recent interview that the three missions had been approved.  

Read more ...  

WNU Editor: China and Russia have made their intentions very clear on what they want to do together in space .... China And Russia To Sign New 5-Year Space Cooperation Program That Includes Building An International Lunar Station By 2035 (December 29, 2021).

In the meantime America's space program is mired in red tape .... FAA delays release of SpaceX environmental review of Boca Chica site (Valley Central).

China's New Satellite Can Capture Hi-Res Images In Seconds

 

Insider: China's small Beijing-3 satellite can take high-resolution images of US cities within seconds, a speed its American counterparts can't match, scientists say 

* The Beijing-3 snapped hi-res images of a 1,470 square-mile area of the US in 42 seconds. 

* The satellite can rotate rapidly in orbit without compromising image quality, researchers said. 

* This unprecedented feat means China can scan large areas in a single sweep, all in high definition. 

A small, one-ton Chinese satellite can quickly snap high-resolution images of US cities that are so detailed they can identify individual military vehicles and the weapons they carry, Chinese scientists involved in the Beijing-3 satellite project said on Tuesday. 

The commercial Beijing-3 satellite, launched by China in June, conducted an in-depth scan of a 1,470 square-mile area in the San Francisco Bay. 

The satellite captured the area within 42 seconds, The South China Morning Post first reported, citing results published this month in the Chinese peer-reviewed journal Spacecraft Engineering.  

Read more ....  

WNU Editor: The Chinese are showing once again that they are capable leap-frogging everyone in certain areas of science and engineering. 

China's New Satellite Can Capture Hi-Res Images In Seconds  

A Chinese Satellite Can Allegedly Take High-Res Images of US Cities In Seconds -- Interesting Engineering 

Chinese AI satellite takes ultra-high res images from orbit at speeds ‘never before seen’ -- NYPost/The SUN  

China launches nimble satellite capable of taking images three times faster than US counterpart -- The Telegraph  

China Successfully Tests Satellite Able to Capture HQ Photos of US City in Less Than 1 Min - Report -- Sputnik  

Chinese satellite snaps hi-res imagery of San Francisco in seconds -- RT

China Slams US Over Space Station Near Misses With Elon Musk's Starlink Satellites

 

CBS/AFP: China slams U.S. after space station "close encounters" with Elon Musk satellites 

Beijing on Tuesday accused the United States of irresponsible and unsafe conduct in space over two "close encounters" between the Chinese space station and satellites operated by Elon Musk's SpaceX. 

Tiangong, China's new space station, had to maneuver to avoid colliding with one Starlink satellite in July and with another in October, according to a note submitted by Beijing to the United Nations space agency this month. 

The note said the incidents "constituted dangers to the life or health of astronauts aboard the China Space Station".  

Read more ....  

WNU editor: Some in China believe this is deliberate .... Expert: SpaceX satellites' near collision with Chinese space station could be deliberate tests (CGTN). 

I have a different take. 

Who was the idiot(s) in China who made the decision to launch their space station into an orbit that conflicts with Elon Musk's SpaceX/Starlink satellites. Satellites that have been operating in this orbit for years.

China Slams US Over Space Station Near Misses With Elon Musk's Starlink Satellites 

Elon Musk criticised after China space complaint to UN -- BBC  

Chinese citizens slam Musk online after space station near-misses -- Reuters  

Elon Musk's SpaceX satellites catch heat in China over close calls with space station -- CNN  

China slams US over space station near misses with Musk satellites -- DW  

China berates US after ‘close encounters’ with Elon Musk satellites -- The Guardian  

Elon Musk sparks China fury as space station takes emergency measures to avoid collision -- Express

Russia's Space Program Is 'Rotting From Within'

The Soyuz spacecraft blasts off to the International Space Station from the Baikonur Cosmodrome on April 9.  

Ars Technica: A domestic newspaper warns of the Russian space program’s “rapid collapse” 

"The space program is rotting from within." 

A long and strikingly critical article that reviews the state of the Russian space program was published in the state-aligned newspaper MK this week. 

None of the findings in the 2,800-word article were particularly surprising. Western observers who track the Russian space industry realize the program is deeply troubled, and to a great extent running on the fumes of its past and very real glory. What is notable, however, is that a major Russian media outlet has published such a revelatory article for a domestic audience. 

Read more ....  

WNU Editor: In a nutshell. This is the problem .... .

.... The overall portrait Popov paints of Roscosmos is that of a wasteful, increasingly decrepit enterprise where almost no money is being invested into the present or future. Instead, the focus seems to be providing high-paying jobs for a handful of technocrats, whose salaries are worth hundreds of thousands of dollars a year. Meanwhile, the average monthly wages for technical specialists who build the country's rockets and spacecraft range from $500 to $1,000 a month.