Thread on how china became a science superpower according to the economist.
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yes, they game the patent system meanwhile they smuggle actual innovative tech and try to reverse engineer it.
they’ve made leaps im the scientific arena but ccp propaganda accounts got some people detached from reality.
Source : China appears to pull off satellite feat that NASA has never achieved
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China's Push for Supremacy in Space
By
Theo Burman is a Newsweek Live News Reporter based in London, U.K. He writes about U.S. politics and international news, with a focus on infrastructure and technology. He has covered technological and cultural issues extensively in the U.S. and the U.K., such as the rise of Elon Musk and other tech figures within the conservative movement, and the development of high-profile international construction projects. Theo joined Newsweek in 2024 and has previously written for Dexerto, PinkNews, and News UK. He is a graduate of Durham University and News Associates. You can get in touch with Theo by emailing t.burman@newsweek.com. Languages: English.
Theo Burman
Live News Reporter
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
Read original
Voice is AI-generated. Inconsistencies may occur.
Two remote-controlled Chinese satellites appear to have docked in high orbit to allow refueling and servicing for the first time.
The achievement, which has yet to be matched by the U.S, involved autonomous spacecraft Shijian-21 and Shijian-25, completing the task in geostationary orbit earlier this month.
Geostationary orbits occur at 22,236 miles above the surface, and are typically used for communications satellites so that they can move with the rotation of the Earth. However, the high orbit and need for satellites to maintain speeds with the Earth's rotation makes docking extremely difficult.
The event, not so far confirmed by China, was reported after optical sensor data suggested the satellites "appeared visually merged" between July 2 and July 6, according to space situational awareness provider COMSPOC, based in the U.S.
Newsweek contacted NASA and the China National Space Administration for more information on the situation via email.
If confirmed, China's achievement would highlight major advancements in space servicing capabilities—an area long pursued by global space agencies. Refueling satellites during flight extends their operational life span and reduces space debris, benefits considered critical for maintaining sustainable long-term operations in ever-more-crowded orbital pathways.
NASA has previously achieved autonomous docking and fuel transfer in low Earth orbit with the 2007 DARPA Orbital Express mission, but has not managed the process in the higher, more challenging geostationary orbit in which the Shijian mission occurred.
The close-proximity operations were observed alongside two American military surveillance satellites stationed nearby to monitor the historic maneuver.
The operation involved carefully coordinated movements as Shijian-25 approached and maneuvered near Shijian-21 throughout June and early July, culminating in the period when they appeared to converge, according to U.S. and Swiss tracking sources.
Tracking from COMSPOC and other space surveillance organizations indicated the following sequence: Shijian-25, which launched earlier in 2025 to test mission-extension technologies, moved steadily toward Shijian-21 starting in early June.
Stock image: The International Space Station docking over Tunisia, May, 2016. Stock image: The International Space Station docking over Tunisia, May, 2016. Getty Images
Read more China
The two achieved a close approach on June 13 before temporarily separating 90 minutes later. Another round of close-proximity operations took place on June 30, observed from Earth by optical tracking firm s2a Systems in Switzerland.
During these maneuvers, the satellites orbited at over 22,000 miles above the equator, firmly in geostationary territory.
Shijian-25's mission reportedly aimed to use robotic arms to latch onto Shijian-21 and replenish its fuel, enabling extended mission life.
Shijian-21 had previously depleted much of its fuel in 2022 while towing a defunct BeiDou navigation satellite into a higher, inactive "graveyard" orbit, thus contributing to debris reduction.
Swiss optical tracking firm s2a Systems said on July 2: "After a day with small but relatively constant distance yesterday, the two objects came closer again today and can no longer be separated by our instrument since about 11:00 UTC (7 p.m. Beijing time)"
Further confirmation of the suspected refueling and on-orbit servicing between Shijian-21 and Shijian-25 will depend on statements from Chinese authorities or future international tracking analysis.
China Appears to Pull Off Satellite Feat That NASA Has Never Achieved
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China's Push for Supremacy in Space
By
Theo Burman is a Newsweek Live News Reporter based in London, U.K. He writes about U.S. politics and international news, with a focus on infrastructure and technology. He has covered technological and cultural issues extensively in the U.S. and the U.K., such as the rise of Elon Musk and other tech figures within the conservative movement, and the development of high-profile international construction projects. Theo joined Newsweek in 2024 and has previously written for Dexerto, PinkNews, and News UK. He is a graduate of Durham University and News Associates. You can get in touch with Theo by emailing t.burman@newsweek.com. Languages: English.
Theo Burman
Live News Reporter
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
Read original
Voice is AI-generated. Inconsistencies may occur.Two remote-controlled Chinese satellites appear to have docked in high orbit to allow refueling and servicing for the first time.
The achievement, which has yet to be matched by the U.S, involved autonomous spacecraft Shijian-21 and Shijian-25, completing the task in geostationary orbit earlier this month.
Geostationary orbits occur at 22,236 miles above the surface, and are typically used for communications satellites so that they can move with the rotation of the Earth. However, the high orbit and need for satellites to maintain speeds with the Earth's rotation makes docking extremely difficult.
The event, not so far confirmed by China, was reported after optical sensor data suggested the satellites "appeared visually merged" between July 2 and July 6, according to space situational awareness provider COMSPOC, based in the U.S.
Newsweek contacted NASA and the China National Space Administration for more information on the situation via email.
Why It Matters
If confirmed, China's achievement would highlight major advancements in space servicing capabilities—an area long pursued by global space agencies. Refueling satellites during flight extends their operational life span and reduces space debris, benefits considered critical for maintaining sustainable long-term operations in ever-more-crowded orbital pathways.
NASA has previously achieved autonomous docking and fuel transfer in low Earth orbit with the 2007 DARPA Orbital Express mission, but has not managed the process in the higher, more challenging geostationary orbit in which the Shijian mission occurred.
What To Know
The close-proximity operations were observed alongside two American military surveillance satellites stationed nearby to monitor the historic maneuver.
The operation involved carefully coordinated movements as Shijian-25 approached and maneuvered near Shijian-21 throughout June and early July, culminating in the period when they appeared to converge, according to U.S. and Swiss tracking sources.
Tracking from COMSPOC and other space surveillance organizations indicated the following sequence: Shijian-25, which launched earlier in 2025 to test mission-extension technologies, moved steadily toward Shijian-21 starting in early June.
Stock image: The International Space Station docking over Tunisia, May, 2016. Stock image: The International Space Station docking over Tunisia, May, 2016. Getty Images
Read more China
The two achieved a close approach on June 13 before temporarily separating 90 minutes later. Another round of close-proximity operations took place on June 30, observed from Earth by optical tracking firm s2a Systems in Switzerland.
During these maneuvers, the satellites orbited at over 22,000 miles above the equator, firmly in geostationary territory.
Shijian-25's mission reportedly aimed to use robotic arms to latch onto Shijian-21 and replenish its fuel, enabling extended mission life.
Shijian-21 had previously depleted much of its fuel in 2022 while towing a defunct BeiDou navigation satellite into a higher, inactive "graveyard" orbit, thus contributing to debris reduction.
What People Are Saying
Swiss optical tracking firm s2a Systems said on July 2: "After a day with small but relatively constant distance yesterday, the two objects came closer again today and can no longer be separated by our instrument since about 11:00 UTC (7 p.m. Beijing time)"
What Happens Next
Further confirmation of the suspected refueling and on-orbit servicing between Shijian-21 and Shijian-25 will depend on statements from Chinese authorities or future international tracking analysis.
I actually have an issue with black intellectuals when it comes to this. We have a big hesitance to cite information from our own academics in the Caribbean and Africa. I see nothing wrong with what China is doing.
You know damn well these white colleges won't cite Chinese articles , from Chinese journals unless they have to in favor of just regurgitating ivy texts. During college I actually had an issue with many professors limiting our search for citations to a handful of schools. God forbid that I cited researchers from the University of Cape Town or UNairobi or University of West Indies, instead of Harvard and Cornell. I'd consider this western citation inflation.
In fact I see this whole complaint as more WS at play. It's no different than when white people complain about foreign nations trading in their own currencies(ruble/yuan/rand) instead of using their Western intermediaries (dollar/ Sterling/euro).
While i get what youre saying, a large bulk of western intellectual thought isn't white so its really not the same as an ethnostate like china. If anything, your insinuation is what white supremacy wants as a narrative.
IIVI
Superstar
Their new 6th gen stealth fighter jet got movable wings. Going to make controlling it’s closure, energy and drops next-level.
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RhymesWell
All Star
What did people expect letting them manufacture damn there everything. Of course they are building better tech than us now. America's obsession with greed will be it's own undoing.
Bingo