🚨🇨🇳 How China’s Reusable Rockets Could Keep the PLA’s Targeting Network Alive China’s two recent orbital booster recoveries have a military purpose extending beyond cheaper launches. The state-developed Long March-10B was captured at sea by a net, while LandSpace’s Zhuque-3 landed vertically on legs. Together, they could give the PLA a way to rebuild its satellite network during a war. Satellites connect China’s long-range targeting process. Reconnaissance spacecraft search the western Pacific for carriers, bombers and other mobile forces. Communications satellites transmit tracking data, while BeiDou supplies the positioning and timing needed to direct aircraft, ships and missiles toward them. Damage to this orbital layer would slow the entire kill chain. During the Talisman Sabre exercise in 2023, around 300 Chinese satellites reportedly made more than 3,000 passes over US, Australian and allied activities. American military officials acknowledge that Chinese surveillance systems can track US carrier groups and bombers across far greater distances than before. A conflict around Taiwan would likely extend into space through jamming, cyberattacks and attempts to disable satellites. Reusable launchers would allow China to replace damaged spacecraft, reinforce coverage and restore communications without building a new rocket for every mission. Losing part of the constellation could cause a temporary disruption instead of breaking the PLA’s targeting network for an extended period. China is also preparing to manufacture replacements on an industrial scale. It had 55 satellite production facilities as of April, with combined annual capacity projected to reach 7,360 spacecraft by 2030. SpaceX reported building around 70 Starlink satellites per week earlier this year, equivalent to roughly 3,640 annually. Neither recovered stage has flown again, so turnaround time and reliability still have to be demonstrated. LandSpace plans to relaunch Zhuque-3 within six months, while the parallel state and commercial programs allow China to pursue two separate technological paths. Once rapid refights become routine, damaging Chinese satellites will provide an adversary with a much shorter window. Keeping the network suppressed would require repeated attacks as replacement spacecraft enter orbit. China’s reusable rockets could give the PLA a kill chain capable of restoring itself during combat and maintaining the coverage needed to track US forces across the Indo-Pacific. @NewRulesGeo❗Follow us on X