U.S. GSSAP satellites execute GEO handoff to monitor China’s Shijian-29 spacecraft
U.S. Geosynchronous Space Situational Awareness Program satellites USA 324 and USA 325 performed a coordinated handoff in geostationary orbit to keep continuous watch over China’s Shijian‑29A and Shijian‑29B spacecraft from 14 March to 18 March 2026. The maneuver, identified by commercial space‑domain‑awareness provider Comspoc, placed the two U.S. assets on opposite sides of the Chinese pair, creating a “bracket” that allowed observation from both east and west angles. By 19 March USA 324 closed to roughly 63 km from Shijian‑29A, while USA 325 executed a burn on 18 March near 73° East to depart the sector, completing the surveillance transfer.
The GSSAP satellites operate at the GEO belt 35,786 km above the equator, where orbital velocity matches Earth’s rotation. USA 324, designated GSSAP‑5, and USA 325, designated GSSAP‑6, are part of a U.S. defense‑focused constellation that conducts proximity monitoring of objects in GEO. China’s Shijian‑29 pair, launched in late December 2025 on a Long March 7A vehicle, belong to a broad, often classified series of experimental satellites. China’s state‑owned contractor CASC described the pair as platforms for verification tests of new space‑target‑detection technologies, a role that suggests a space‑situational‑awareness function. Ground‑based observations by Swiss firm s2a Systems in January indicated that Shijian‑29A, built by CASC’s Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology, appeared brighter than Shijian‑29B, which was developed by the Innovation Academy for Microsatellites of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, hinting at differences in size, shape or surface coating.
The event reflects a growing pattern of rendezvous and proximity operations among the United States, China and Russia in GEO, where inspection satellites increasingly interact with one another. Such coordinated maneuvers blur the line between benign surveillance and potential counter‑space capabilities, prompting analysts to monitor how inspection‑type missions may evolve into strategic tools. The handoff underscores the importance of real‑time space‑domain awareness for both national security and the sustainability of the crowded geostationary environment.
