Submarines fitted with lasers, custom-built attack satellites and ...: Strategies Chinese government, military scientists are developing to counter Elon Musk' Starlink
Starlink
satellite network, which they perceive as a significant threat to the country's national security. According to a report by Associated Press (AP), Chinese government and military scientists, concerned about Starlink's potential use by adversaries in a military confrontation and for spying, have published dozens of papers in public journals that explore ways to hunt and destroy Musk's satellites, an Associated Press review found. This reportedly includes Stealth submarines fitted with space-shooting lasers, supply-chain sabotage and custom-built attack satellites armed with ion thrusters.
The satellite constellation's ability to provide fast, affordable internet access globally, even in remote areas, is seen as a risk due to SpaceX's ties to U.S. intelligence and defense agencies. 'As the United States integrates Starlink technology into military space assets to gain a strategic advantage over its adversaries, other countries increasingly perceive Starlink as a security threat in nuclear, space, and cyber domains,' stated professors from China's National University of Defense Technology in a 2023 paper.
Proposed countermeasures include stealth submarines equipped with lasers capable of targeting satellites, supply-chain sabotage, and custom attack satellites with ion thrusters. Researchers have also suggested deploying small optical telescopes to monitor Starlink, using deep fakes to create false targets, and firing powerful lasers to damage the satellites. Starlink's dominance, with over 8,000 active satellites accounting for roughly two-thirds of all active satellites, has raised concerns globally, not just in China. According to Jonathan McDowell, an astronomer at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, SpaceX aims to deploy tens of thousands more satellites. The network's critical role in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, where it supported Ukrainian battlefield communications, highlighted its strategic importance and the risks of relying on a single private company led by Musk, whose political engagements, including support for controversial figures, have sparked unease.
How China is responding to Starlink
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China is responding by developing its own satellite networks, such as Guowang, with 60 of a planned 13,000 satellites launched, and Qianfan, backed by the Shanghai government, with 90 of 15,000 planned satellites in orbit. These efforts aim to compete with Starlink both domestically and in markets like Africa and Asia. The AP review noted that Chinese researchers have analyzed Starlink's coverage over key areas like Beijing and Taiwan, concluding in a 2023 National Defense University paper that 'the Starlink constellation coverage capacity of all regions in the world is improving steadily and in high speed.' Another study by the China Industrial Control Systems Cyber Emergency Response Team pointed to vulnerabilities in Starlink's supply chain, noting 'the company has more than 140 first-tier suppliers and a large number of second-tier and third-tier suppliers downstream,' with limited cybersecurity oversight.
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