Northrop Grumman launched two satellites in 2019 and 2020, which performed the first docks in geosynchronous orbit. The Northrop satellites, which it calls mission extension vehicles, took control of two aging commercial communication satellites running low on fuel, maneuvering them to new places and allowing them to continue to operate for several more years. It is easy to see that this type of technology could be used for commercial or military purposes.
But these mission extension vehicles do not have the ability to transfer fluids from one satellite to another. This is the passage that China makes with SJ-21 and SJ-25, presumably with hydrazine and nitrogen tetroxide propulsives that most satellites use because they are burning with each other.
The joint commercial operating cell of a US space command, which collects unclaimed satellite monitoring data to strengthen the classified data sources of the military, estimated the SJ-21 satellites and SJ-25 SJ-25 “merged” on July 2 and has remained together since. The video below, released by S2A Systems, shows SJ-25 approaching SJ-21 on 30 June.
The unclassified data does not confirm that the two satellites actually inserted, but it probably happened. The satellites joined, or merged, on June 13 and June 30, but split within a few hours again. These may have been practical runs, aborted puzzle trials or sudden maneuvers to avoid the nasty eyes of the GSSAP satellites of the US military nearby.
Now, the SJ-21 and SJ-25 has flew together for more than five days with no discussion changes detected by terrestrial telescopes. Thousands of miles above the equator, the two satellites appear only as points in the viewers of these telescopes positioned around the globe.
What we don’t know
COMSPOC is a Pennsylvania company that collects and processes data from commercial satellite tracks sensors. COMSPOC merges optical telescopic images with radar tracking and passive radio frequency (RF) data that uses radio signals to measure correct distances to satellites in space, to get the best possible estimate of the position of a spacecraft.
“With most telescopes at 1 kilometer or half a kilometer, somewhere there, you will start losing it as they approach,” said Paul Graziani, the founder and general manager of COMSPOC, in an interview with ARS. “I think it would be difficult for any telescope, even really capable, reaching 100 meters. That seems to be a stress for telescopes.”
This is why it is helpful to add radars and RF data to the mixture.
“When you add everything together, you become much better than the 1 kilometer [precision] For the extent could be, “said Joe Callaro, COMSPOC operations director.” RF tells you if part of that Blob is moving and the other part is not, and even when they all become one pixel, you can tell things about it. ”
Even then, companies like COMSPOC have some uncertainty in their conclusions unless Chinese or US officials make a more definitive statement.
“We are not working with the government,” Callaro told Ars before last week’s apparent dock. “We don’t empty this. The accusation I have for my team is that we won’t make claims about what’s going on. We’ll just say what our software gives us as a solution.
