The use of low-orbit satellites to connect and transmit data for civil, defence, and security purposes is being prioritised, invested in research and development by many countries, especially the US and China. So, what low-orbit satellites, their benefits and potentials are, and how the competition between the US and China in this field affects the region, etc. are issues of great public interest.
Low-orbit satellites and their benefits
Low-orbit satellites (low-orbit satellites - LEO) are a cluster of artificial satellites launched into space orbit, about 180 km to 2,000 km from the Earth (much lower than high-orbit satellites GEO - about 30,000 km from the Earth). According to MIT Technology Review - a globally influential US science and technology magazine, low-altitude satellites are among the world's top 10 breakthrough technologies in 2020. This is also a technology with great potential for military, security and civilian use. In the military field, low-altitude satellites can be used for reconnaissance, surveillance, positioning, early warning, communication, navigation, cloud computing and a number of other tasks in areas lacking terrestrial internet service. In the security field, low-altitude satellites provide a high-speed internet tool that helps one country penetrate the security system of another and vice versa. In civilian use, low-altitude satellites can be used in the fields of: communications, transportation, emergency response, public safety, hydrometeorological monitoring, scientific discovery, economic growth and a number of other utilities for society. Recently, several countries have been interested in investing and developing this technology, notably the US, China, Russia, the European Union (EU), India, Canada, Japan and South Korea. However, in reality, so far there are only over 10 companies from major countries participating in this field, including: Starlink, Project Kuiper of the US; ChinaSat, Spacesale of China; Eutelsat OneWeb of the UK and India; IRIS of Europe and Telesat of Canada, etc. Currently, there are nearly seven thousand satellites of all kinds in the world, in which about six thousand are low-orbit satellites, five thousands of which belong to the US, and China owns nearly 600 ones.
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| China's low orbit satellite (An illustrative photo) |
According to researchers, compared to other transmission technologies, the outstanding features of low-altitude satellites are: (1) the ability to provide internet services at any location on earth, especially remote areas, high mountains, under the sea, etc. where traditional internet networks cannot reach; (2) the accuracy in determining location helps to increase the ability to maintain stable transmission lines and obtain high-quality images; (3) the cost of using the service will be cheaper than traditional internet. Besides the strengths, low-altitude satellites also have some limitations, such as: transmission speed can be interrupted and affected by magnetic storms; the lifespan of satellites is not high (from five to seven years) and the risk of increasing space waste if there is no suitable treatment plan; lower security than fibre optic internet. To overcome these limitations, low-altitude satellite service providers have been implementing plans to update stable transmission lines, increase the density of satellite "clouds", increase the level of information security assurance and have plans to retrieve unused satellites. Recent practice shows that low-altitude satellites are not only widely used in response to non-traditional security challenges, competing with fibre optic internet services, but are also widely used in the military field. Typically, during storms in the US, thanks to the help of low-altitude satellites, the country's meteorological agency were able to collect data on global winds and atmosphere; provide images to identify the structure and evolution of rain and storms; support the work of relief, rescue, and overcome the consequences of natural disasters. In the military field, in 2020, SpaceX - the Starlink satellite service provider of billionaire Elon Musk, signed a contract with the US Air Force to test encrypted low-altitude satellite internet services, worth about 28 million USD. The Pentagon and SpaceX have deployed the "Blackjack" low-altitude satellite project to navigate, integrate, communicate and transmit information quickly with an investment of nearly 150 million USD, thereby helping the US military grasp the global situation, deploy combat flexibly and effectively use unmanned aerial vehicles. In China, Huawei has also successfully launched a low-altitude satellite test and achieved some positive results. The company is currently focusing on developing low-altitude satellite systems for widespread use in many fields.
Potential and competitiveness between the US and China in developing low-orbit satellites.
According to some statistics, the US is the world's leading country in satellite research and development in general, and low-orbit satellites in particular. Washington's global internet project aims to build a super high-speed satellite internet network, catching up with 4G, 5G and ADSL/terrestrial fibre optic infrastructure. The US government is also perfecting the legal framework and technical infrastructure for this field; at the same time, launching programmes to attract scientists to participate in research and the private sector to invest in developing low-orbit satellites. In addition, Washington is also implementing a plan to support allies in investing in developing low-orbit satellites, such as: implementing the Network Satellite Pilot Programme (Incentivise) with the Philippines; cooperating with Europe (ESA) and Japan (Jaxa) to develop human observation data; supporting Korea in deploying low-orbit satellite internet technology; providing Starlink services to the Ukrainian Army for use in the conflict with Russia, etc. According to researchers, in some aspects, the development of low-altitude satellites helps the US further consolidate its leading position in the economic and military fields.
China has recently also stepped up investment in satellite development in general and low-altitude satellites in particular, through: issuing a series of policies prioritising the development of space infrastructure; establishing specialised agencies to manage satellite constellations (CASC, CASIC, SSST); increasing investment in the research field to create new technology products or improve existing products, processes, and services (R&D); expanding high-capacity satellite communication networks (Satcom); blurring the lines between the Government and the private sector in the satellite industry. In addition, the country is seeking to expand its influence in Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America through the “Belt and Road” strategy; seeks to shape international space standards and governance in multilateral mechanisms. Beijing is also planning to build a giant low-orbit satellite network - "Guowang" or "State Network" (about 13,000 satellites) to provide internet services to users around the world and compete directly with the US Starlink satellite network.
In response to China's investment, the US Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) said that in the near future, China may catch up with the US's satellite technology development speed and become the biggest competitor in the global connectivity race. According to researchers, some of China's investment projects, space satellite research activities, etc. have surpassed the US. Although it has the potential to develop low-orbit satellites, in the context of facing US technology embargoes, China needs to cooperate with other countries, such as Russia and France, to compete with the US in this field.
Impact on the region
According to experts, whichever country dominates the field of low-altitude satellite development will have many advantages in the technology race, especially for military purposes. Therefore, the competition between countries with advanced scientific and technological potential in general, and the US and China in particular, in the development of low-altitude satellites is likely to be fierce in the coming time and will affect many countries in the region.
The US and China increasing investment and strengthening low-altitude satellite capacity will promote the development of science, technology and innovation, transmission technology, and the application of science and technology to life; an important supplement to fibre optic internet in natural disaster situations in remote areas...; at the same time, creating motivation for countries in the region to participate in this field, because the potential of low-altitude satellites is very large. First of all, it will help developing countries have the conditions to choose, receive, apply and develop space technology in general and low-altitude satellite technology in particular. Second, countries can directly participate in the negotiation process, shaping international governance rules on information security, border security, maritime security, in accordance with the interests of each country. Third, providing high-quality labour in the fields of artificial intelligence, STEM, satellites, space and enhancing the ability of international cooperation related to transmission safety, etc.
From another perspective, scientists believe that, with the advantage of being ahead, the US can take advantage of this field to attract, gather forces and strengthen cooperation with countries to increase influence in the Asia-Pacific region, before China commercialises and expands the satellite market to other countries. This puts pressure on countries in the region to choose between the US and China ecosystems; to have measures to control information security; to increase costs for this emerging technology; to increase security risks in testing and operating low-altitude satellite systems; to deal with issues of industrial waste, environmental protection, etc.
According to experts, the development of low-altitude satellites with the dominance of a number of major powers and large technology corporations has created a certain level of monopoly in this field. As a new and breakthrough technology, low-altitude satellites are an important area of strategic competition between major powers, having a great influence on military activities and the development of social security. Therefore, international public opinion hopes that major countries and technology corporations need to strengthen cooperation and technology transfer to countries in the region and the world, especially in the context of unpredictable changes in the regional and world situations. The trend of competition and militarisation in the field of space and low-orbit satellites continues to increase. In addition, countries also need to prepare plans to receive this technology, from human resource training, infrastructure development to institutional construction and promulgation; strengthen international cooperation to handle some challenges in the process of developing low-orbit satellites.
Dr NGUYEN HONG QUANG and MSc LE HONG NGOC, Department of Americas, Ministry of Foreign Affairs