China Declares War on Starlink
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China Declares War on Starlink
https://circleid.com/posts/20230306-...000-satellites
China Developing Anti-Starlink Measures, Aims to Launch Nearly 13,000 Satellites
China plans to establish a large satellite network in near-Earth orbit to provide internet services to users worldwide and to stifle Elon Musk’s Starlink project, according to a South China Morning Post report.
The project, referred to as the ‘GW’ constellation, would include 12,992 satellites owned by the newly established China Satellite Network Group Co. The launch schedule for these satellites remains unknown, but the number would rival the scale of SpaceX’s planned network of more than 12,000 satellites by 2027.
The Chinese satellites could be placed in “orbits where the Starlink constellation has not yet reached,” the researchers said, adding that they would “gain opportunities and advantages at other orbital altitudes, and even suppress Starlink.”
The satellites could be equipped with an anti-Starlink payload to carry out various missions, such as conducting “close-range, long-term surveillance of Starlink satellites.”
Additionally, the Chinese government could cooperate with other governments to form an anti-Starlink coalition and “demand that SpaceX publish the precise orbiting data of Starlink satellites.”
The case of war: The Chinese government has also proposed the development of powerful radar systems and the use of new weapons, including lasers and high-power microwaves, to destroy Starlink satellites that pass over China or other sensitive regions.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has confirmed that the US government has talked to Musk about the use of Starlink satellite internet in Ukraine. However, Musk has stated that Starlink will not be used to escalate conflict in the Ukraine war.
China Developing Anti-Starlink Measures, Aims to Launch Nearly 13,000 Satellites
China plans to establish a large satellite network in near-Earth orbit to provide internet services to users worldwide and to stifle Elon Musk’s Starlink project, according to a South China Morning Post report.
The project, referred to as the ‘GW’ constellation, would include 12,992 satellites owned by the newly established China Satellite Network Group Co. The launch schedule for these satellites remains unknown, but the number would rival the scale of SpaceX’s planned network of more than 12,000 satellites by 2027.
The Chinese satellites could be placed in “orbits where the Starlink constellation has not yet reached,” the researchers said, adding that they would “gain opportunities and advantages at other orbital altitudes, and even suppress Starlink.”
The satellites could be equipped with an anti-Starlink payload to carry out various missions, such as conducting “close-range, long-term surveillance of Starlink satellites.”
Additionally, the Chinese government could cooperate with other governments to form an anti-Starlink coalition and “demand that SpaceX publish the precise orbiting data of Starlink satellites.”
The case of war: The Chinese government has also proposed the development of powerful radar systems and the use of new weapons, including lasers and high-power microwaves, to destroy Starlink satellites that pass over China or other sensitive regions.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has confirmed that the US government has talked to Musk about the use of Starlink satellite internet in Ukraine. However, Musk has stated that Starlink will not be used to escalate conflict in the Ukraine war.
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From: MARS
Kessler Syndrome and the space debris problem | Space
Kessler Syndrome is on its way. Thousands of years of no access to Space, the Moon, Mars etc. Inability to put communications or navigation satellites into orbit. Reversion to celestial navigation and ground based aids such as VOR/DME etc etc. Elon Musk will have a lot to answer for!
Kessler Syndrome is on its way. Thousands of years of no access to Space, the Moon, Mars etc. Inability to put communications or navigation satellites into orbit. Reversion to celestial navigation and ground based aids such as VOR/DME etc etc. Elon Musk will have a lot to answer for!
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Not quite that bad. All Starlink sats are in a low enough orbit they will be down in 5-8 years. Not only does the low altitude improve latency, the passively induced immolation allows an easy way to free up room for more advanced satellites. Unlike geostationary sats, the old Starlinks will not require parking or monitoring. It's the GPS satellites and higher orbits that are a problem; even ISS and Hubble are losing height every day and require a boost. On the last service mission to Hubble the astronauts added a docking feature, so it's possible to send a robot vehicle to perform that boost before it is too late.
