In a commentary published on Thursday by People’s Liberation Army Daily, an expert from the PLA Space Engineering University pointed to a recent US$60 million contract awarded by the US Space Force to develop an orbital transport craft. The article said the project would “boost US war-fighting strength, yet intensify the two nations’ military rivalry and threaten space security”.
The article, published under the name Wang Tiantian, appeared to reference a contract granted to the Seattle-based space infrastructure company Gravitics.
The PLA Daily commentary cited design specifications suggesting the craft included hard-points for weapons and could carry up to 10,000kg (22,046lbs) of payload within a 60-cubic metre (2,119-cubic feet) compartment. That capacity would allow for more than 150 kinetic kill vehicles – space interceptors adapted from missile defence systems – enabling rapid and sustained offensive or defensive operations, it said.
Because of this dual-use potential, “such ambiguity has triggered warnings that demand heightened vigilance from all spacefaring nations”, the commentary said.
