China offered to help Russia destroy Elon Musk’s Starlink constellation
Unspecified “low-cost” weapons are being considered.
Image by Cybernews
- China and Russia discussed legal, electronic, cyber, and physical measures targeting SpaceX’s Starlink satellite network.
- The plans appeared in 2023 military forum materials obtained by The Insider, Der Spiegel, and Le Monde.
- Starlink matters because it supports Ukrainian military and civilian communications during Russia’s war in Ukraine.
- The proposals could escalate tensions in orbit and raise risks for global satellite communications and space security.
China and Russia are considering a “cyber war” against the Starlink satellite constellation, which would result in the physical destruction of the network.
An investigation by the Insider, an independent media outlet, sheds light on deep military cooperation between China and Russia, which is stuck in the fifth year of its invasion of Ukraine.
One of the central targets is SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet network. The company, owned by Elon Musk, is the Pentagon’s most important contractor and plays a crucial role in Kyiv’s defensive efforts against Russia.
SpaceX activated Starlink broadband in Ukraine in 2022, weeks after the war broke out. Since then, the network has helped ensure military and civilian communications and facilitated Ukraine’s drone attacks.
The Insider, together with Der Spiegel and Le Monde, has obtained four slideshow presentations delivered in November 2023 at the Third China-Russia Military-Technical Cooperation Forum in Guangzhou, a recurring bilateral gathering.
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The slideshow was delivered by two researchers from the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), Beijing’s main principal state space contractor. The material discusses, among other things, the destruction of Starlink satellites.
Researchers argue that the Starlink constellation imposed a “space blockade,” packing low-Earth orbit and key bands of the electromagnetic spectrum so densely that it prevented competition.
According to the Insider, such framing would allow China and Russia to present an assault on the network as self-defense rather than aggression.
Therefore, they propose a three-level escalation ladder:
1) First, China and Russia would use joint legal and diplomatic pressure, arguing that Starlink’s satellite density sharply raises the risk of collisions in low orbit.
2) Level two seeks to block Starlink’s access to the physical space to prevent its expansion. Described as a “coordinated military countermeasure,” the move would involve the countries filing for critical frequency bands and orbital slots.
In addition, researchers propose a joint electromagnetic-jamming architecture to selectively block Starlink in selected geographical areas.
3) Level three foresees the physical destruction of Musk’s satellite network. The proposed “cyber war” would include measures such as access spoofing and virus infection, aimed at pushing malware through end-user terminals and propagating it across the network.
In addition, scientists propose eliminating the satellites using unspecified “low-cost” weapons.
Preparations are underway
Preparations for the cyber war may have already started, the Insider reports.
Publications linked to the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), the military wing of the Chinese Communist Party, discussed concrete combat scenarios involving laser weapons and anti-satellite missiles.
Chinese media reported that researchers at the Northwest Institute of Nuclear Technology had developed a powerful ground-based microwave weapon capable of targeting low-orbit satellites.
The current Starlink constellation consists of over 10,000 satellites. SpaceX is reportedly planning to fill orbit with an additional million satellites that act as data centers, raising concerns about light pollution.