Space Fight: Afraid of Musk’s Starlink, China to launch 13,000 satellites over security concerns

Researchers in China are hard at work to build and launch a massive network of satellites in either the near-Earth orbit or low-Earth orbit to provide internet services to users worldwide. The main objective of this project is to stop Elon Musk’s Starlink and keep him in check. Codenamed “GW,” this project is being led by associate professor Xu Can of the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) Space Engineering University in Beijing. However, as of now, it is now clear what exactly GW stands for. The GW Constellation The GW constellation of satellites will include exactly 12,992 satellites owned by the newly established China Satellite Network Group Co, Xu and his colleagues said in a paper about anti-Starlink measures published in the Chinese journal Command Control and Simulation on February 15. The launch date for these satellites is unclear, but their quantity would rival SpaceX’s intended network of over 12,000 satellites by 2027. The GW satellite array is expected to be deployed rapidly, “before the complete deployment of Musk’s Starlink,” according to Xu’s team. This would “ensure that China has a spot in low orbit and prevent the Starlink constellation from pre-empting low-orbit resources unduly,” they wrote. Going beyond Musk’s Starlink The experts said the Chinese satellites could also be put in “orbits where the Starlink constellation has not yet reached,” adding that they would “gain chances and benefits at other orbital heights and even inhibit Starlink”. The Chinese spacecraft could be outfitted with an anti-Starlink payload to perform a variety of tasks, including “close-range, long-term monitoring of Starlink satellites,” according to the report. This is in direct contradiction to a recent paper published by the China National Space Administration, calling for cooperation and saying that competing communication satellite networks could harm each other. Starlink as a threat to Chinese National Security According to SpaceX, the Starlink network, which currently has over 3,000 satellites in orbit, is anticipated to ultimately expand to more than 40,000 satellites, although they don’t have a hard date set by which they plan to accomplish this target. According to Xu’s team, China’s space monitoring and defence capabilities cannot handle such a large number of spacecraft. According to the report published by the team, the Starlink satellites can receive data from the US Department of Defense to plan or synchronise their locations, and they are outfitted with surveillance devices to watch the space environment. “The Starlink satellites may use their orbital manoeuvrability to actively hit and destroy nearby targets in space,” the researchers added. The team also revealed that, China plans to construct more powerful radar systems fueled by new technology to recognise and monitor Starlink satellites. The radar and other tracking measures, according to the experts, would be used to refresh a “Starlink catalogue” that would ultimately hold comprehensive data on every satellite. Xu’s team said the Chinese government could also collaborate with other countries to create an anti-Starlink coalition and “demand that SpaceX discloses the exact orbiting data of Starlink satellites”. They went on to say that new weaponry, such as lasers and high-powered microwaves, would be created and used to destroy Starlink satellites that travel over China or other vulnerable areas. Starlink’s effect on the Russia-Ukraine war has scared China China’s attempts to counter Starlink come amid increasing worries about the worldwide satellite network’s possible military applications. Throughout Ukraine’s war with Russia, the technology has been used to improve communications, though SpaceX made measures earlier this month to limit its use in operating military drones in the country. The Ukrainian military has successfully used Starlink systems against Russian troops. Since the conflict began, Chinese military researchers have frequently urged the development of capabilities capable of destroying Starlink if required. On February 13, SpaceX creator Elon Musk stated that the company would limit the military use of Starlink in the Ukrainian war because “we will not allow intensification of conflict that may lead to World War 3”. Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.