copyright © 2012, Proceedings, u.S. naval institute, Annapolis, Maryland (410) 268-6110 www.usni.org China’s Navigation in SpaceBy Andrew Erickson and Amy Chang What new approaches will China’s space tracking take? he People’s Republic of China’s dencies and liabilities. The program appears “Long View” space-tracking and at a crossroads, with the development of ad- telemetry system enhances space ditional overseas ground stations a tempting situational awareness and operations alternative. How Beijing proceeds will shape Twhile offering military potential. Yet this sea- its capabilities critically; the United States based approach suffers from inherent depen- should monitor related developments closely. AP Photo (Vincent Yu) A fundamental element of the Chinese space program, space-tracking Yuanwang vessels provide ship-based C4ISR and can also track infor- mation and guidance for foreign satellite data. Here, the Yuanwang 6 docks in Hong Kong after tracking and remotely controlling the Shen- zhou 7 spacecraft in 2008. 42 • April 2012 www.usni.org China relies on space-event support ships far Russia today operates only the Akademik Sergei more than does any other power today—its fleet Korolev, and France the Monge. No other country is rivaled only by that of the United States. But maintains a significant presence in this field. in contrast to the United States, Russia, and other modern global military powers, a regionally fo- Birth of a Space-Tracking Program cused China has no overseas military bases and First conceived in 1965 by Premier Zhou Enlai, only limited space and domestic ground-based Beijing’s concept for space-tracking ships was assets on which to rely. The country’s Yuanwang further developed under Project 718 in the 1970s.1 (Long View) ships fill this void by performing The Yuanwang program was launched to support a variety of useful roles in peacetime, including Chinese intercontinental ballistic-missile (ICBM) monitoring and tracking space vehicles such as sea tests. These were approved as early as the rockets, spacecraft, and missiles; as well as com- mid-1960s, but were apparently delayed by the municating and coordinating with ground assets. Cultural Revolution. China’s Commission of Sci- China’s diverse, rapidly evolving, interactive ence and Technology for National Defense tasked command, control, communications, computers, the design departments of the Seventh Ministry of intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance Machine Building, the Seventh Academy of the (C4ISR) architecture remains different from that Sixth Ministry of Machine Building, and its own of the United States even as it increases in cover- test bases with organizing a concept-study team. age and sophistication. In the event of conflict, Design and development began in 1974; con- mobile ship-based C4ISR could have significant struction in 1975. Following the resolution of nu- advantages over fixed ground installations, from merous technical problems by the many organiza- providing tracking information and guidance for tions assigned to participate, Jiangnan Shipyard missiles to intercepting foreign satellite data. Yet completed the first vessels in the late 1970s; they no English-language study to date has covered subsequently underwent debugging and sea trials. the Yuanwang vessels in depth, let alone explored A total of six Yuanwang ships have been built, their possible military applications. though only three are operational today. On 26 April 1980, an 18-ship task group in- Global Context cluding both warships and Yuanwang vessels The United States is China’s only peer in ship- sailed from Shanghai. This was the first major based space tracking. The U.S. Military Sealift instance of Chinese maritime power projection Command, founded in 1958, has a Special Mis- since Ming Dynasty Admiral Zheng He’s AD sion Program that currently includes 25 ships sup- 1405–33 voyages, and the first ever into the west- porting military and government tasks. It oper- ern Pacific. On 18 May, in a previously surveyed ates three active instrumentation ships, the USNS area near Fiji, the task force retrieved the instru- Observation Island (T-AGM-23), Invincible (T- ment package from China’s first successful DF-5/ AGM-24), and Howard O. Lorenzen (T-AGM-25), CSS-4 ICBM test, demonstrating the ability to which “provide platforms for monitoring missile successfully exploit sea-based tracking. launches and collecting data that can be used to Yuanwang vessels would subsequently be de- improve missile efficiency and accuracy.” The ployed to support a wide variety of military and Observation Island is fitted with Cobra Judy (AN/ civilian space launches, a practice that continues SPQ-11), a passive electronically scanned array today. In April 1984, the fleet successfully tracked radar that supports space and ballistic-missile China’s first geostationary experimental commu- tracking as well as other instrumentation. It is nications satellite. The role of the ships positioned linked to two types of non-maritime radars: the in distant oceans had been critical for satellite ground-based Cobra Dane (AN/FPS-108) in She- launches to geosynchronous transfer orbit when mya, Alaska; and three Cobra Ball (RC-135S) air- existing ground stations could only track limited craft. As part of the U.S. ballistic-missile defense distances along certain lines of sight. system, the Military Sealift Command operates Between the 1980s and 2000s, the Yuanwang the Sea-based X-band Radar Platform (SBX-1). fleet has made significant progress in techno- These assets represent parts of a larger U.S. logical advances and capabilities. Beginning in surveillance network that includes such allied 1981, improvements in the ships’ tracking sys- land-based components as the ballistic-missile tem permitted coverage to 24,855 miles above detection radars at Fylingdales, U.K.; and Thule, Earth. This subsequently advanced to more than Greenland. With its global ground- and space- 248,550 miles. In April 1984, the Yuanwang fleet based C4ISR, the United States is far less reliant successfully tracked China’s first geostation- than China on this sea-based approach. Few other ary communications satellite. Today, the ships countries even have space-event support ships. still play an essential role in such operations. www.usni.org PROCEEDINGS • 43 In May–June 1997, they demonstrated comprehensive The country’s tracking and control-station network in- tracking capability by monitoring the Dongfanghong-3 cludes, but may not be limited to: and Fengyun-2 satellites. Since late 1999, Yuanwang ships have tracked Shenzhou spacecraft, indicating the ability Changchun Tracking & Control Station (Changchun, Jilin) to follow manned space flights. In late 2007, the fleet’s Dongfeng Tracking & Control Station (Jiuquan, Gansu) space-tracking distance expanded from 43,496 to 248,550 Guiyang Tracking Station (Guiyang, Guizhou) miles during the Chang’e-1 lunar mission. Hetian Tracking & Control Station (Hetian, Xinjiang) China’s Yuanwang space-event support ships complement Jiamusi Tracking & Control Station (Jiamusi, Heilongjiang) its numerous ground stations and two Tianlian data-relay Kashi Tracking & Control Station (Kashi, Xinjiang) satellites, which facilitate communications with these sta- Lushan Tracking & Control Station (Jiujiang, Jiangxi) tions and other satellites. The country’s network of ground- Lvliang Command Post (Lvliang, Shanxi) and sea-based stations provides tracking data and support Minxi Tracking & Congrol Station (Shaxian, Fujian) for ballistic-missile tests and space launches. Nanhai Tracking & Control Station (Foshan, Guangdong) Nanning Tracking & Control Station (Nanning, Guangxi) Domestic Ground Stations Qingdao Tracking & Control Station (Weihai, Shandong) China has three satellite launch centers and stations: Ji- Sanya Tracking & Control Station (Sanya, Hainan) uquan (also known as Base 20 and Dongfeng Space City), Taiyuan Tracking & Control Station (also known as Tai- Xichang (Base 27), and Taiyuan (Base 25). The coun- yuan Satellite Launch Center) (Kelan County, Shanxi) try is currently constructing a station in Wenchang (also Tianshan Tracking & Control Station (Urumuqi, Xinjiang) known as Wenchang Space City and Wenchang Satellite Weinan Tracking & Control Station (Weinan, Shaanxi) Launch Center), which should be operational in 2013. Xiamen Tracking & Control Station (Xiamen, Fujian) Additionally, it has two control facilities: an Aerospace Xi’an Satellite Control Center (Xi’an, Shaanxi) Zhanyi Tracking & Control Sta- Tracking and Control Stations tion (Qujing, Yunnan) Foreign Ground Stations China has overseas tracking stations in Karachi, Pakistan; Malindi, Kenya; and Swakop- mund, Namibia. The Malindi station, in an Indian Ocean coastal town, became operational in July 2005 to support the Shen- zhou 6 mission. In Swakopmund, the station works in conjunction with Yuanwang 3 to provide telemetry, tracking and com- mand (TT&C) support during Shenzhou spacecraft landings.2 China also had a ground station in Tarawa, Kiribati; but it was dismantled in 2003 after Kiribati recognized Taiwan. Beijing plans to construct three ground-control 0 200 800 stations in South America by Miles 2016 for deep-space network support. Additionally, China Command and Control Center in Beijing and a Satellite reportedly shares space-tracking facilities with France, Monitor and Control Center in Xi’an (also known as Base Sweden, and Australia.3 26). The Aerospace Telemetry Oceanic Ship Base is a crucial ground