Eyeing China, US to deploy satellites with advanced sensors for tracking targets by 2030s

A senior US Space Force official said the Pentagon has set its sights on the early 2030s to deploy satellites bearing advanced sensors for tracking airborne and ground targets so that America can keep pace with security threats posed by China and Russia.

“I would say you’re looking at probably the early ‘30s for some of that capability to start coming online,” said General Michael Guetlein, vice-chief of space operations, at a Defence News conference in Virginia on Wednesday.

Guetlein shared his estimate when asked about the Space Force’s timeline for deploying new intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities in space.

As adversaries had become “very good” at “denying oversight of their territory”, the US now needed to operate from increasingly higher altitudes to maintain battlefield visibility, he said.