China testing orbital refueling procedures for satellite missions
by Mike Heuer
Washington DC (UPI) Jun 10, 2025
China is positioning a satellite to test its ability to refuel another in orbit over Earth and extend its mission for several more years.
China’s Shijian-25 satellite is designed to refuel and service other satellites while they stay in geostationary orbit over Earth, SpaceNews reported.
A geostationary orbit is one in which a satellite or another spacecraft maintains its location over a particular point on Earth by orbiting at a speed that matches the planet’s rotation.
The satellites were positioned more than 900 miles from each other in low-Earth orbit on Monday.
The Shijian-25 was launched in January to test its ability to refuel other satellites and spacecraft, such as the Shijian-21 satellite.
Shijian-21 was launched in October 2021 and has already completed its mission to dock with the Beidou-2 G2 navigation satellite and tow the defunct satellite to a so-called “graveyard orbit.”
Such an orbit positions defunct satellites well above geostationary orbit, so it won’t interfere with active satellites.
Two U.S. satellites are monitoring the two Chinese satellites, which completed several maneuvers over the past weekend to close the gap between them.
The Chinese satellites are expected to dock on Wednesday and start a refueling procedure the test the viability of refueling satellites and other spacecraft while they are in geostationary orbit.
If the test is successful, it means satellites could extend their missions for much longer than they initially were designed.
The Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology designed the two satellites, and the Shijian-21 appeared to run out of fuel until its recent maneuvers to close the distance between it and the Shijian-25.
If the two satellites successfully dock with one another, the Shijian-25 is expected to transfer 313 pounds of hydrazine to extend Shijian-21’s service life by another eight years.
The test is similar to one planned by U.S.-based Northrop Grumman, which intends to launch its Mission Robotic Vehicle next year to conduct similar servicing of U.S. satellites and spacecraft.
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