Technology helps China hunt for satellites in orbit

A group of Chinese scientists recently simulated operations in space targeting a large satellite constellation and discovered that Starlink is not as difficult to attack as previously thought, according to MSN. Results from computer simulations show that China can effectively reach nearly 1,400 Starlink satellites within 12 hours using only 99 satellites equipped with lasers, microwaves and many other devices for reconnaissance.

“The potential military application value of the Starlink super satellite constellation is very prominent in the Russia-Ukraine war. In recent years, the militarization of space has increased. Monitoring the operational status of satellite cluster is particularly important,” said the research team led by Wu Yunhua, head of the department of aerospace control at Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

SpaceX, the company founded by American billionaire Elon Musk, has launched more than 6,700 Starlink satellites and is expected to increase to tens of thousands of satellites in the coming years. Tracking such a huge satellite constellation with a small number of satellites was once thought to be impossible due to the need for complex orbit calculations and difficulty processing in a short period of time. Wu and his colleagues also face many practical military challenges. For example, Chinese satellites need to fly close enough that the Starlink satellites are within effective detection range for at least 10 seconds, but not too close to avoid causing an accident.

Lasers and other equipment consume a lot of energy, so scientists also need to arrange enough time to turn toward the Sun to charge each Chinese satellite. Satellite control also requires many different time periods, further increasing the difficulty of orbit calculations. Despite all the challenges, Wu’s team developed unprecedented technology that allowed computers in ground control centers to generate comprehensive and reliable plans in less than two minutes.

This method is inspired by the hunting behavior of whales. Whales often work together in the open sea to herd small fish into their mouths, while ensuring the process takes the shortest time to conserve energy. Wu and his colleagues developed a binary artificial intelligence algorithm that allows Chinese satellites to accurately imitate whales, thereby hunting Starlink satellites.

According to the University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, the project that Wu directed received a total budget of 2.2 million USD from the Chinese government and military. Harbin University of Technology also participated in the study. China is in the process of building a large satellite constellation similar to Starlink. If attacked, they could create large amounts of trash, threatening many systems in space and the safety of the space station.