How China plans to take down Elon Musk's Starlink
What's the story
Chinese researchers have conducted a major simulation study to examine how the People's Liberation Army (PLA) could take down Starlink, one of the most resilient communication systems ever developed. The study is particularly relevant in light of the role Starlink played during Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. After Kyiv requested satellite internet from Elon Musk, thousands of Starlink terminals were delivered within days, restoring command and control across the battlefield despite Russian efforts to disrupt communications.
Signal disruption
Starlink's resilience against jamming
Initially, Russia attempted to jam the signals from Starlink terminals with some success. However, when SpaceX updated its software and reconfigured the constellation, many Russian jammers went silent. This shift in the battlefield advantage has raised alarms in military circles around the world, especially in Beijing. The PLA is now faced with a pressing question: how can they achieve electromagnetic dominance when their enemy could have access to over 10,000 satellites that can adapt and resist jamming in real time?
Tactical approach
Simulation study details PLA's strategy
The simulation study by Chinese scientists offers a detailed public analysis of how the PLA could try to silence Starlink. The researchers simulated the performance of Starlink satellites and ground stations under different conditions. They suggested that jamming signals from multiple ground stations could potentially disrupt Starlink's communication capabilities. However, this would require a large number of jammers and precise coordination between them, which may not be feasible in real-world scenarios.