US Begins Sharing Data on Russian, Chinese Space Activities With Allies

The United States has begun sharing classified intelligence on Russian and Chinese space activities with its closest allies, The Times reported.

The data is being shared with the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand — a notable departure from past policy, under which the activities of Space Delta 9, a unit of the U.S. Space Force, were kept exclusively within Washington.

According to Colonel Ramsey Horn, commander of Space Delta 9, a strategic decision was recently made to deepen cooperation with partners.

He said the initiative involves providing allies with access to sensitive information on what he described as growing “malign activities” by Russia and China in space.

Horn added that by sharing intelligence, allies would be able to help the U.S. identify and address vulnerabilities in orbital defense systems. In return, Washington would share insights gathered over the past decade.

U.S. military chiefs have taken an unprecedented step by allowing British military leaders to observe their operations at the Space Force base in Schriever, Colorado, The Times wrote, citing increasing concern over China’s space militarization.

Speaking at a briefing at the U.S. Embassy in London, Horn said the United States also plans to develop space-based weapons to protect Western satellites in case of attack.

“We are more prepared than ever to conduct combat operations if the enemy decides to challenge the peace,” he said.

Horn said China launched at least 270 satellites in 2024, a sharp increase from previous years. He warned that Beijing is working to establish a so-called “kill web” — a network of space assets designed to track U.S. military forces around the globe.

Horn also said that the US wants to be able to prevent Beijing from creating a so-called “kill web” — that is, China’s use of space assets to track US troops around the world.

“This gives them targeting capabilities if they want to use hypersonic missiles in a conflict,” Horn said. The U.K. and the U.S. are collaborating to improve detection and tracking of such weapons, The Times reported.

On April 28, China announced plans to build a large-scale satellite control system capable of managing 100,000 satellites in low Earth orbit.

Officials said the country currently has 58 satellite production facilities in operation or under construction. By the end of 2025, China expects to manufacture more than 5,000 satellites annually.

Key projects include Spacecom Satellite Technology’s G60 Starlink-like network, expected to deploy 15,000 satellites, with 648 planned by the end of this year. Other large constellations in development include the 12,992-satellite Guowang system and Honghu-3, which plans 10,000 satellites.

On the same day, 87 satellites were launched into orbit — one of the busiest single-day launches in history. The satellites were deployed by China, as well as U.S. firms SpaceX and Amazon.

China’s Xingwang network was expanded by 10 satellites, and the Qianfan mega-constellation may eventually include up to 15,000 satellites. Beijing also recently announced plans to upgrade its BeiDou navigation system with next-generation satellites.