Beijing’s expanding surveillance satellite network is designed to serve military conflicts, posing a significant challenge to the Indo-Pacific and the world, experts warn.
These suspected intelligence satellites transit Japanese airspace roughly six times an hour, The Yomiuri Shimbun reported on March 15.
The Japanese daily’s analysis of publicly available U.S. Space Force tracking data revealed that 10 spacecraft within the Yaogan Chinese reconnaissance satellite constellation take approximately two hours to fly over bases in Japan operated by the Self-Defense Forces and the U.S. military.
These satellites also pass over the South China Sea and Guam.
It said that, as of December 2025, roughly 80 of the 160 Yaogan satellites are confirmed to remain active based on orbital altitude adjustments over the past three years….
China’s Expanding Satellite Network Poses Major Threat to Global Security: Analysts
