Elon Musk’s Starlink satellites are being used to provide internet to remote corners of the planet. However, a study in China suggests that People Liberation Army (PLA) submarines equipped with laser could destroy these satellites if the country’s security is at risk. The researchers conducted the study and published it in the Chinese-language journal, Command Control & Simulation.
The project aims to hide the location of attack vehicles (or submarines) and use submarine-based laser weapons to address the issue of concealment. Currently, ground-to-air missiles are the primary means of anti-satellite operations, but this approach has certain issues. The Starlink program’s numerous, densely packed, and small satellite network makes it highly inefficient to use missiles to attack such satellites.
The study detailed a step-by-step guide to attacking Starlink-like satellites, which involves one or several submarines equipped with laser weapons deployed to the sea area where the operation is to be conducted. They enter the target sea area according to command instructions and wait for the satellites to come within their attack range. The time to raise the laser weapon is determined based on the previously acquired satellite overhead time.
When the satellite enters the attackable range, the laser weapon is raised, and other forces are required to provide satellite position guidance for the submarine to attack the satellite. After the attack is completed, the submarine can submerge and wait for the next mission or return to the home port. As of June 2024, there are 6,219 Starlink satellites in orbit, with 6,146 working.