China’s Ground Segment Building the Pillars of a Great Space Power A BluePath Labs Report by PETER WOOD WITH ALEX STONE AND TAYLOR A. LEE 1 China Aerospace Studies Institute Sep 2020 DRAFT WORKING PAPER. NOT FOR CITATION China’s Ground Segment Building the Pillars of a Great Space Power A BluePath Labs Report by PETER WOOD WITH ALEX STONE AND TAYLOR A. LEE for the China Aerospace Studies Institute 1 DRAFT WORKING PAPER. NOT FOR CITATION Printed in the United States of America by the China Aerospace Studies Institute ISBN: XXX-X-XXX-XXXXX-X To request additional copies, please direct inquiries to Director, China Aerospace Studies Institute, Air University, 55 Lemay Plaza, Montgomery, AL 36112 Design by Heisey-Grove Design, photos licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. 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NOT FOR CITATION China Aerospace Studies Institute CASI’s mission is to advance understanding of the capabilities, development, operating concepts, strategy, doctrine, personnel, organization, and limitations of China’s aerospace forces, which include: the PLA Air Force (PLAAF); PLA Naval Aviation (PLAN Aviation); PLA Rocket Force (PLARF); PLA Army Aviation (PLAA), the Strategic Support Force (PLASSF), primarily space and cyber; and the civilian and commercial infrastructure that supports the above. CASI supports the Secretary, Chief of Staff, and other senior leaders of the U.S. Air Force. CASI provides expert research and analysis supporting decision and policymakers in the Department of Defense and across the U.S. Government. CASI can support the full range of units and organizations across the USAF and the DoD. CASI accomplishes its mission by conducting the following activities: • CASI primarily conducts open-source native-language research supporting its five main topic areas. • CASI conducts conferences, workshops, roundtables, subject matter expert panels, and senior leader discussions to further its mission. CASI personnel attend such events, government, academic, and public, in support of its research and outreach efforts. • CASI publishes research findings and papers, journal articles, monographs, and edited volumes for both public and government-only distribution as appropriate. • CASI establishes and maintains institutional relationships with organizations and institutions in the PLA, the PRC writ large, and with partners and allies involved in the region. • CASI maintains the ability to support senior leaders and policy decision-makers across the full spectrum of topics and projects at all levels, related to Chinese aerospace. CASI supports the U.S. Defense Department and the China research community writ large by providing high quality, unclassified research on Chinese aerospace developments in the context of U.S. strategic imperatives in the Asia-Pacific region. Primarily focused on China’s Military Air, Space, and Missile Forces, CASI capitalizes on publicly available native language resources to gain insights as to how the Chinese speak to and among one another on these topics 3 DRAFT WORKING PAPER. NOT FOR CITATION Table of Contents 4 DRAFT WORKING PAPER. NOT FOR CITATION Abbreviations AIRCAS Aerospace Information Research ESA European Space Agency Institute of the Chinese Academy of EW Early Warning Sciences FYP Five Year Plans AR Autonomous Region GAD General Armament Department AVIC Aviation Industry Corporation of China GWIC China Great Wall Industry Corporation BITTT Beijing Tracking and Communication Technology IRST Infrared search and tracking system Research Institute ISR Intelligence, Surveillance, and BS EDI Beijing Special Engineering Design Reconnaissance and Research Institute JIDS Joint Integrated Data Link C4ISR Command, Control, JSLC Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance, and LPAR Large Phased Array Radars Reconnaissance MCF Military-Civilian Fusion CAAA China Academy of Aerospace Aerodynamics MIIT Ministry of Industry and Information Technology CAS China Academy of Sciences MOST Ministry of Science and Technology CASC China Aerospace Science and Technology MUCD Military Unit Cover Designation CASIC China Aerospace Science & NASA National Aeronautics and Space Industry Corporation Limited Administration CAST China Academy of Space NDU National Defense University Technology NDRC National Development and Reform CBERS Commission CCP Chinese Communist Party PLA People’s Liberation Army CETC China Electronics Technology PLAAF People’s Liberation Army Air Force Company PLAN People’s Liberation Army Navy CFOSAT China-France Ocean Satellite PNT Positioning, Navigation and Timing CHEOS China High-Resolution Earth PRC People’s Republic of China Observation System RADI Institute of Remote Sensing and CLTC China Launch and Tracking Control Digital Earth CMC Central Military Commission RMB Renminbi CNES Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales SSA Space Situational Awareness CNSA China National Space SASTIND State Administration for Science, Administration Technology and Industry for CRESDA China Centre for Resources Satellite National Defense Data and Application TSLC Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center EDD Equipment Development VLBI Very Long Baseline Interferometry Department XSCC Xi’an Satellite Control Center ELINT Electronic Intelligence XSLC Xichang Satellite Launch Center 5 DRAFT WORKING PAPER. NOT FOR CITATION Key Findings CHINA HAS GRAND AMBITIONS FOR SPACE INFRASTRUCTURE While China has not released its Space Great Power Strategy, projects such as the National Civil Space Infrastructure Mid- and Long-Term Development Plan and the Space-Earth Integrated Information Network Mega Project point toward a resilient system of systems that will allow data sharing between space, air, sea and ground assets, including unmanned vehicles for economic and defense purposes. THE GROUND SEGMENT IS LARGELY OPERATED BY THE CHINESE MILITARY The PLA and specifically the Strategic Support Force’s Space Systems Department play a major role in launch, tracking, command and long term operations of China’s growing constellations of satellites. As the Chinese military continues to modernize on its path toward informatization and eventually intelligentization, space systems will play an even greater role, necessitating the PLA’s continued involvement in defense and civilian space infrastructure programs. THE GROUND SEGMENT FOR CHINA’S SPACE PROGRAMS HAS EXPANDED DRAMATICALLY The last ten years have seen remarkable growth in the number and sophistication of ground stations to support China’s scientific and defense related space programs. Examination of commercial satellite imagery of stations built prior to that period saw expansion of their capabilities through addition of antennas and other infrastructure. New stations have been set up and existing stations expanded. Based on public plans this momentum is likely to continue. COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS AND OPERATORS WILL PLAY A GREATER ROLE IN GROUND SEGMENT OPERATIONS The Chinese government, specifically the PLA and Chinese Academy of Sciences, have been the main developers of space infrastructure. However, the commercial market, encouraged by government initiatives, is seeing rapid growth. Space services, including TT&C operations, equipment, though disentangling true private companies from thinly-masked subsidiaries of SOEs remains a challenge. THE UNITED STATES REMAINS AHEAD IN SPACE INFRASTRUCTURE While China’s deployment of multiple constellations of satellites and development of an extensive space ground segment is notable, it does not approach the technological sophistication or size of many of the systems deployed by the United States. In many cases what appears to be novel in a Chinese context proved to be emulating programs that have been underway in the United States for decades. 6 DRAFT WORKING PAPER. NOT FOR CITATION Introduction Space operations are not just a matter of rockets and satellites: ground stations, commonly recognized by their large satellite dishes, play an invaluable role in operating satellites and other