China has disguised a top secret space weapon as an orbital garbage collector, researcher claims
Expert issues astonishing suggestion about Beijing's out of this world military ambitions
China has disguised a top secret space weapon as an orbital garbage collector, it has been claimed.
It is feared the Aolong-1 is not the peaceful robot Beijing would have us believe.
This mysterious spaceship is equipped with an arm which allows it to reach out, grab orbiting junk and send it plunging into the ocean below.
But it could also be used to smash up enemy satellites, giving Beijing a clear advantage in any modern conflict.
A researcher with the National Astronomical Observatories in Beijing told the South China Morning Post that the Roaming Dragon could be used "directly against enemy assets in space".
He said it was enormously difficult to collect the millions of pieces of space debris which are whizzing around our planet, making it unlikely that China would attempt such a "bold experiment" with such a huge chance of failure.
"It looks simple, but some enormous challenges lie ahead, some that no other nation has solved," he said.
China shocked the world when it blasted a satellite to smithereens by firing a rocket from ground level.
The NAO researcher said disguising a satellite-killer as a junk collector would give Beijing a "clean" weapon and allow it to dodge international scrutiny.
“This time no one will point a finger [at China],” he added.
"What would a satellite with a robot arm do that was so militarily useful?" he asked.
"It could grapple and attach itself to another satellite. But that would do little damage, and quickly alert its controllers.
"There would seem to be no strategic gain from such a move."
The Aolong 1 blasted into space on June 25 aboard a Long March rocket. Eventually, China hopes to build a manned space station in orbit around the Earth.
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