China’s rapid advancements in space eyed

China’s rapid advancements in space eyed
By Lolita C. Baldor - The Associated Press
Posted : Tuesday Nov 3, 2009 17:23:27 EST

WASHINGTON — Wary of China’s rapid advancements in space programs over the last decade, military commanders said Tuesday that the U.S. needs to improve its satellite presence in the Southern Hemisphere to better track launches from Asia, even as officials work to improve relations with Beijing.

Air Force Gen. Kevin Chilton, head of U.S. Strategic Command, said the U.S. wants to better understand where China is heading as it improves its space and satellite capabilities.

Chilton, who met with senior Chinese military leaders last week, described strains on the Pentagon’s space program that are forcing commanders to push satellites and other equipment beyond their designed life span and to press for schedules that allow no room for launch failures.

A big challenge, said Chilton, is that the U.S. is working with old satellites that were deployed during the Cold War. Many of those units focus largely on the Northern Hemisphere.

“We have shortfalls in the Southern Hemisphere,” said Lt. Gen. Larry James, commander of the Joint Functional Component Command for Space. “As you look at launches that would potentially come out of Asia and head south, you don’t get a look at those for some period of time due to the lack of coverage there. So we still have shortcomings we need to deal with.”

Rest of article at: http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2009/11/ap_china_chil...