John Paul M. Joaquin Science 05.28.2022 02:May AM EDT

Trouble in Space: Chinese Researchers Threatened by Starlink Satellite Constellation, Proposes It Be Destroyed

China wants to have the ability to destroy Elon Musk's Starlink satellite constellation.

Military researchers from China mentioned that their country needs to be able to disable or completely destroy SpaceX's Starlink satellites if they threaten their nation's security, per state media South China Morning Post.

China wants to control the country's data to outcompete the U.S. in all dimensions, according to Bloomberg.

China's Plan on Disabling or Destroying Starlink

In a research paper published in China's peer-reviewed journal Modern Defense Technology, author Ren Yuanzhen and several senior scientists in China's defense industry argued that the Chinese military would need to develop ways to counteract any threat posed by Elon Musk's Starlink satellite constellation.

Ren Yuanzhen is a researcher with the Beijing Institute of Tracking and Telecommunications under the People's Liberation Army's Strategic Support Force.

According to a translation of the research paper provided by David Cowhig's Translation Blog, the researchers believe that the U.S. military can use the Starlink constellation as a platform to improve and enhance the flexibility of space-based systems and anti-destructive capabilities.

At the same time, the U.S. military can also use the Starlink constellation as a platform for emerging U.S. warfare concepts typically represented by mosaic warfare.

The study defines mosaic warfare as a new type of combat that arbitrarily combines standardized functional units of a large number of smaller single-function combat elements with uncrewed, autonomous systems to build an adaptable and flexible kill network that can be adjusted promptly according to the demands of the battlefield.

It also argues that Starlink could have seamless all-weather surveillance and reconnaissance capability, space-based target detection and/or suppression capabilities, and broadband communication capabilities that could aid the U.S. military on the battlefield if they can modify the satellites within the constellation.

Proposed Starlink Countermeasures

Yuanzhen and his co-authors propose that China develop and adopt "a combination of soft and hard kill methods to make some Starlink satellites lose their functions and destroy the constellation's operating system.

Yuanzhen also mentioned that China should actively strengthen research on space combat system requirements, which involves tracking the development of the Starlink constellation and other similar satellite constellations.

The researcher also added that the country should strengthen the declaration and reserve of satellite frequency orbit resources to improve the overall planning, declaration, and coordination of the frequency and orbital resources of China's satellite network.

Could China Actually Do It?

Astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell mentioned to Gizmodo that the Chinese researcher's dilemma regarding Starlink is legitimate.

"If you're a part of any country's military whose job is to think about war in space, you see Starlink as a different problem," McDowell said.

The main issue is that the satellites making Starlink's constellation is far too many for one anti-satellite missile to destroy, and with it being decentralized, knocking out one or two of the satellites to destroy the constellation will be ineffective. Additionally, SpaceX could replace destroyed Starlink satellites at a much lower price than China's anti-satellite missile.

China became wary of the constellation after two Starlink satellites nearly crashed in China's Tianhe space station on two separate occasions in 2021, accoding to Space News.

Ren and his co-authors could not be reached for comment, giving uncertainties about the research's purpose - if it's representing the official stance of the Chinese government or military.