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  • PLA Aerospace Force Base 37

    Base 37 is the PLA’s base for early warning and space situational awareness, likely now under the command of the PLA’s new Aerospace Force (PLAASF). Observable elements of Base 37 appear to be engaged in research on a wide array of space situational awareness (SSA) topics, and units directly

  • Chinese Research in Space-Based Space Surveillance

         Space Surveillance is a subset and contributor to space situational awareness (SSA), which in turn, is a subset and contributor to space domain awareness (SDA). To clarify the purpose and scope of this paper, these three terms are defined and their relationships illustrated.      SDA is the

  • Strategic Ambiguity and the Deterrent Value of the Sino-Russian Partnership

                The ever deepening Sino-Russian partnership has attracted considerable attention, especially in the aftermath of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.   Although the partnership was outlined first in a 2001 20-year agreement and recently extended in 2021, its parameters remain opaque. In

  • History of China’s Robotic Lunar Program

    In December of 1978, Deng Xiaoping gave his ground-breaking speech on China’s new policy of “reform and opening up” to the world at the 11th Party Congress. Six months previously, he had addressed an association of Chinese scientists, most of whom had been sent to the countryside for

  • China's Space Program Through The Lens of Irregular Warfare Theory

    This article  examines the question of whether the PRC is using its space program as a method of irregular warfare with the goal of neutralizing the United States as a threat to its goal of achieving global hegemony. For purposes of this paper, a campaign of irregular warfare is defined as a

  • Systems and Infrastructure Needed to Enable A Chinese Crewed Lunar Landing

    China’s successful completion of the third phase of its Lunar Exploration Program with the Chang’e-5 lunar sample return opens a new chapter in China’s study of the Moon.  China can now prepare for a permanent base on the Moon, the International Lunar Research Station, which may start crewed

  • How China Has Integrated Its Space Program Into Its Broader Foreign Policy

    The way that the People’s Republic of China (PRC) is governed allows it to pursue a more holistic approach to policy. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) not only controls the government, but also has a presence in every major organization, including economic, technical, and academic entities.

  • China Opens a New Page in Lunar Exploration

    On January 3 at 10:26 AM Beijing time, China’s Chang’e-4 (嫦娥四号) spacecraft, housing the 140 kilogram Yutu-2 (玉兔-2) rover, set down in the polar region on the far side of the Moon. This high-risk, challenging mission has never before been attempted by any space agency. The non-Earth facing side of

  • PLA Air Force's Four "Key Training Brands"

    The People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force's (PLAAF) desire to advance its strategic transformation through qualitative changes is evidenced by its development of what it calls the "four key training brands". These include:  the Golden Helmet military competition; the Golden

  • CASI Associates Program

    The CASI Associates program allows CASI to leverage experts across the field of PLA and Chinese aerospace studies, who may not otherwise be available to the USAF, to conduct research and deliver findings and outcomes in support of CASI’s mission.  CASI Associates work on specific topics of interest;