China, like Russia, recognizes that Starlink satellites are a threat that cannot be ignored because the US has contracted SpaceX to track hypersonic missiles. This necessitates a need to develop technology to kill the civilian satellites.
A report by SCMP that a study is underway to destroy a wartime asset of America and do just that was published a month ago.
China To Develop Starlink Satellite Killers
According to the study calling for both soft and hard kill methods to disable these civilian satellites or knockout the operating systems they have on board, The EurAsian Times reported.
SpaceX has a satellite constellation system that totals over 2,400 of them, all placed in low earth orbit (LEO), which is used for high-speed internet worldwide.
The system is tasked with introducing internet access to many of the world's most isolated places. Elon Musk, the company's CEO, aims to launch up to 30,000 satellites over the next ten years, cited CNET.
United States Department of Defense has been allowed to use SpaceX's Starlink platform for military applications. It necessitates the development of sensors to track hypersonic missiles that China already has.
EurAsian Times previously reported Beijing is concerned about the security threats that SpaceX could pose.
The study was led by Ren Yuanzhen, a researcher at the Beijing Institute of Tracking and Telecommunications of the PLA's Strategic Support Force. With co-authors, including several well-known experts from China's defense industry.
Destroying the Starlink satellites will be hard for China because they can function even if some satellites are busted, capable of tracking hypersonic missiles.
Ren suggests that building super-sharp space surveillance satellites to monitor Starlink is needed also intercept and analyze information relayed.
Even with the risk of space debris interfering with operations, the PLA must work on improving satellite-killing skills and make it more cost-effective to take out different targets such as Elon Musk's constellation satellites.
The SpaceX satellites are part of a decentralized system, dealing not with individual satellites but with what makes up the whole system. Methods should be low cost and very efficient in the job.
China To Destroy the Whole System of Satellites
Neither Moscow nor Beijing can afford to ignore the SpaceX satellite constellation because its growth in space makes both nations wary about the intentions of Washington.
Dmitry Rogozin, the head of Russia's space agency, warned Elon Musk about restoring the internet in Ukraine after getting blocked.
Anti-satellite missiles developed by Xi and Putin's militaries are mentioned frequently as a potential hazard to the US and its allies.
In 2007, Beijing authorized the first anti-satellite test, shooting down an old meteorological satellite. Soon after, the country has been developing technology to catch or wreck satellites by creating dangerous space junk. Systems like robotic appendages and space nets include many ground-based weapons that target a satellite.
The US sees the Chinese as a threat due to its space technologies, from satellites, boosters, rockets, sensors, and lunar tech bridging the space race gap. Musk is not worried about an attempt to destroy the satellites; he can replace destroyed ones fast.
China will not ignore the threat of Starlink satellites that can give away its hypersonic missiles and where they are, studying ways to defeat them.
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