Chinese military researchers say the country should be able to disable or destroy SpaceX Starlink satellites if they threaten national security. Researchers at the Beijing Institute of Tracking and Telecommunications, under the PLA’s Strategic Support Force, led by researcher Ren Yuanzhen, have published a paper calling for the development of new anti-satellite devices. “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.
As a result of research, Chinese scientists have proposed the following methods to destroy Starlink satellites – lasers that can blind or damage satellites, nanosatellites that can destroy larger satellites, and cyber weapons that will damage the system.
Starlink already has more than 2,300 satellites in orbit. In January, SpaceX signed a five-year contract with the US Air Force to transport military cargo and humanitarian aid. According to researchers, satellites with military payloads may be launched among a batch of commercial Starlink devices.
Experts also said the Chinese military needed to upgrade its space surveillance systems. China can destroy the satellite with a rocket, but this will lead to the formation of large amounts of space debris and will be expensive compared to cheaper satellites.
Earlier Elon Musk declared that the Starlink system deployed in Ukraine resists more and more frequent hacking attempts by Russia. SpaceX has managed to stop attempts to block Starlink’s satellite Internet with electronic warfare (EW) systems. In addition, Elon Musk recently stated that the SpaceX infrastructure is resistant to all attempts to hack or jam the signal.
You can also help Ukraine fight with Russian occupants via Savelife or via an official page of the National Bank of Ukraine.
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