Amid looming concerns over China’s militarization of space and potential space war in the future, Chinese scientists have conducted a simulation operation targeting American billionaire Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite network.
A team of Chinese scientists simulated a space operation targeting the Starlink constellation, proving that the massive network is not as invulnerable as originally believed, according to a new report in the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post.
A peer-reviewed paper on the simulation, curated by the team led by Wu Yunhua, director of the aerospace control department at Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, was reportedly published in the Chinese academic journal Systems Engineering and Electronics on January 3.
The computer simulation found that about 1,400 Starlink satellites could be successfully approached by just 99 Chinese satellites in about 12 hours. These satellites may be outfitted with lasers, microwaves, and other tools to carry out tracking, reconnaissance, and other operations.
“The potential military application value of the Starlink mega constellation has been highlighted in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. In recent years, the militarization of space has intensified, posing a significant threat to China’s space security. It is particularly important to track and monitor its operational status,” wrote the project team.
Shortly after Russia launched the invasion on February 24, 2022, Mykhailo Fedorov, the then deputy prime minister of Ukraine, asked Elon Musk to activate SpaceX’s Starlink satellites for use in Ukraine on Twitter. Musk complied almost urgently and tweeted: “Starlink service is now active in Ukraine. More terminals en route.” The system provides a faster internet connection by connecting portable user terminals to low-orbit satellites.
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The success of the satellite-based solution had such an impact on the battlefield that Moscow was forced to devise new tactics for detecting and neutralizing Starlink signals.
This is why China has been particularly bothered. China considers Taiwan a breakaway Chinese province and has vowed to integrate it with the Chinese mainland. However, China’s invasion and military operations could be significantly impeded if Taiwan is granted access to the Starlink satellite network.
For instance, in May 2024, a team of Chinese researchers warned that China would face “severe tests” while responding to the Starlink network, which may be used to support US military aid to Taiwan in case of a contingency in the Taiwan Strait.
The report, titled “Analysis of the influence of Starlink constellation on China’s territory and its surrounding space domain,” said those who carry out regional operations in hotspot areas “must pay attention” to the “spatial domain impact” of Starlink service.
On its part, China has also developed its version of Starlink. The Qianfan mega-constellation project, also known as G60, was initiated in 2023. China aims to establish over 15,000 low-Earth orbit (LEO) wide-screen multimedia satellites as a challenger to the Space X Starlink. The first batch of satellites for the Qianfan project was sent into orbit in August 2024.
However, the latest simulation operation aimed at hunting Starlink satellites reveals that China not only seeks to compete with Elon Musk’s satellite network but could also go to war against it if it poses a threat.
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SpaceX has launched more than 6,700 Starlink satellites so far, and the number is anticipated to swell to tens of thousands shortly. In fact, as per reports, SpaceX hopes to expand its mega constellation to as many as 42,000 satellites.
The latest SCMP report noted: “Tracking such a vast constellation with a small number of satellites was once deemed impossible, involving extremely complex orbital calculations that, even if solved, would be difficult to execute within a short time frame.”
There were also more realistic military obstacles for Wu and his associates to overcome. For example, Chinese satellites had to be close enough for detection equipment’s effective range for at least 10 seconds and far enough from Starlink satellites to avoid accidents.
The task was complex because each satellite required different amounts of time to maneuver, making orbital calculations much more challenging. The report further added that “Lasers and other equipment consume a lot of energy, so scientists also needed to arrange sufficient sun-facing charging time for each Chinese satellite.”
Wu’s team contends that, despite all the difficulties, they have created a novel technology that allows computers at the ground control center to produce an accurate and thorough action plan in less than two minutes.
Chinese satellites were able to “hunt” Starlink by accurately imitating the whales, thanks to a novel binary artificial intelligence system created by Wu’s team. “Whales work together in vast waters to channel small fish into their mouths while ensuring the process takes the shortest amount of time to conserve energy.”
The report also noted that China is developing new kinds of interceptor satellites with armaments that can take down hostile satellites without producing a lot of debris.
Space analysts and academics have cautioned on numerous occasions that satellites in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) could be targeted by directed-energy weapons, such as strong lasers and microwave systems.
China has been developing strategies and weapons that could effectively counter the Starlink satellites in case of a contingency in the Taiwan Strait. Following the effective use of SpaceX’s Starlink satellites against Russia in Ukraine, several experts noted that the Chinese military had accelerated the development of high-power microwave weapons.
In March 2023, for instance, a group of researchers developed a compact power source that could drastically reduce the size of a high-power microwave weapon capable of downing Starlink satellites.
Later, in July 2024, researchers from China’s People Liberation Army (PLA) asserted that if China’s security were at risk, PLA submarines armed with laser weapons would destroy SpaceX’s Starlink satellites.
The research stated that a submarine fitted with a solid-state, megawatt-class laser weapon can fire at satellites while remaining underwater and retracting its “optoelectronic mast” before diving back to the ocean floor. A step-wise guide was published to eliminate Starlink satellites, as reported by EurAsian Times at the time.
Earlier, a study led by Ren Yuanzhen, a researcher with the Beijing Institute of Tracking and Telecommunications under the PLA’s Strategic Support Force, said China should be able to disable or destroy SpaceX’s Starlink satellites if they threaten national security.
“A combination of soft and hard kill methods should be adopted to make some Starlink satellites lose their functions and destroy the constellation’s operating system,” said the paper, published in the domestic peer-reviewed journal Modern Defence Technology.
These developments come as the Pentagon continues to express concern about China’s alleged militarisation of space, flagging the possibility of a potential space war as China’s anti-satellite capability continues to expand.
As Ben Lewis, a defense Analyst focusing on PLA development and Taiwan security issues, earlier told the EurAsian Times: “We’ve seen how effective Starlink has been to facilitate communication in Ukraine, and China is concerned about its potential utility for Taiwan, or US forces intervening in a Taiwan contingency scenario.”
“Having weapons with the ability to take Starlink out of play, and for Chinese media to mention Starlink in their report about it specifically, is indicative of how seriously they view Starlink,” he added.
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