FPI / August 22, 2024
Geostrategy-Direct
By Richard Fisher
A recent report reveals that one or more Western governments are concerned that China is in the process of proliferating satellite data services and satellite technology to Iran, that could eventually enable Iran to achieve precision targeting against Israel and then against global targets, for its future long range nuclear and non-nuclear warhead armed missiles.
Two Chinese satellite companies are engaging Iran, posing dangers that Iran could receive satellite data services that could assist the targeting and guidance of its long-range missiles, and/or that Iran could either purchase small satellites or their technology, to acquire its own surveillance and targeting satellite constellation.
This engagement has included multiple exchanges of delegations with the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), which control its Quds Force that funds and trains Hamas in Gaza, Hizbullah in Southern Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen as proxies in Iran’s war against Israel.
According undisclosed government source revelations to Joby Warrick and Souad Mekhennet of The Washington Post, published in their Aug. 18 article, “Iran seeks China’s help with surveillance satellites, officials say.”
According to this report, the two “private” Chinese satellite companies engaging Iran are the Chang Guang Satellite Technology Company and Beijing MinoSpace Technologies; both companies sell satellite data services but MinoSpace has developed and markets a family of small satellites.
Private means they are not “state owned” like China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) but are completely subordinate to Chinese Communist Party (CCP) control and would only conduct commerce with Iran under CCP control to contribute to CCP goals for increasing Iran’s military power.
Founded in 2014, Chang Guang Satellite Technology Co. is based in Jilin province and as China’s first “private” satellite data company, markets data from “private” Jilin-1 surveillance satellite constellation that it controls, which now has 130 satellites with the goal of lofting 300 satellites by 2026.
Of satellites in orbit, the Jilin-1 constellation includes about 16 video satellites with a 1-meter resolution, about 54 imaging satellites with a .75-meter resolution and one satellite with a .5 meter resolution.
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