The Chinese government has been advised to develop countermeasures for SpaceX’s Starlink satellite system.
Chinese military analyst Ren Yuanzhen argues that China’s military needs to develop ways to track, hack and even destroy the Starlink satellites developed by Elon Musk’s SpaceX.
In Ren’s report, which was published in China-based academic journal Modern Defence Technology, he points out the potential for the satellites to provide an advantage for the US military.
On the one hand, it can provide more stable and reliable communication capabilities for the combat units deployed by the US military around the world,” he said.
“On the other hand, it also has the potential to provide high-definition pictures and even live video.”
The report goes on to say that Beijing should explore a range of “soft and hard kill methods” to “make some Starlink satellites lose their functions and destroy the constellation’s operating system.”
According to the Bloomberg¸ who originally cited the paper, it is unknown if these views reflect those of the Chinese Community party (CCP), who are currently under fire for their aggression towards Taiwan.
Musk and Starlink have gained significant recognition of late for providing satellites to Ukraine to support the government against the ongoing Russian invasion. As a result, he and SpaceX, despite being a civilian firm, have stepped into the sights of the Chinese and Russian governments.
According to Brig. Gen. Steve Butow, director of the space portfolio at the Defence Innovation Unit, Starlink “totally destroyed [Vladimir] Putin’s information campaign”, and allowed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to fight against the Kremlins attempts to spread misinformation and prevent communication.
SpaceX has also been used by the Ukrainian military to coordinate military action.
