US risks falling behind China in rapid satellite launches, report warns

China has probably surpassed the United States in its ability to quickly launch and replace satellites in the wake of a conflict or accident, according to a new report by an American university. By developing relatively small, mobile, solid-fuel rockets which can lift off from a mobile platform rather than launch pads, China had advanced a critical capability known as tactically responsive space launch (TRSL) over the past decade, said researchers from the Centre for Security and Emerging Technology at Georgetown University in Washington. More

(Source: South China Morning Post - Jul 25)