China shows off giant ‘Anti-Starlink’ radar at airshow: Why is Musk’s satellite network a threat to Beijing?
China unveiled its massive anti-satellite radar at the Zhuhai Airshow recently and that has generated a lot of chatter on the Chinese internet. The 'SLC-18 P band active phased array radar' has been dubbed the Anti-Starlink radar by Chinese internet users. The US supplied, Elon Musk-run Starlink network is viewed as a threat by Beijing because of the satellite’s assistance in defending Ukraine. Reports say that the radar is primarily designed for space surveillance and can target satellites orbiting close to the earth.
This is what the radar is capable of:
Reports say that the system that China is currently flaunting at its airshow is capable of acquiring multi-target tracking measurement data. Simply put, this means that the system is capable of estimating the number and trajectory of targets from data obtained by its sensors.
It is reportedly the most powerful radar that China has unveiled at the airshow.
The system reportedly employs a solid-state AESA system – this enables it to track multiple targets with high accuracy. Its capabilities are: search and acquisition, tracking measurement, orbit computation, cataloging, and forecasting of space targets.
What are space targets?
Low earth orbit (LEO) satellites are considered threats or space targets because they are critical for intelligence collection. These satellites have increasingly been used by developed nations for battlefield surveillance.
Nations have been developing technology to thwart the functioning of such satellites.
India too, under its Mission Shakti, has developed and tested an anti-satellite missile in 2019 and continues to build on technology that eliminate space threats.
By hitting a target (India’s own satellite orbiting at 300 km in space), India entered an elite club of countries, including US, Russia and China, with such capabilities four years ago.
Why is Starlink a threat?
Elon Musk has a thriving electric car business in China. However, his SpaceX venture is under the Chinese lens because Stralink has been crucial in Ukraine’s war efforts. Ukrainian defenders have been able to precisely target Russian locations due to the satellites services – some of these satellites were offered by SpaceX for free.
According to an IANS report, a researcher with the Beijing Institute of Tracking and Telecommunications – Ren Yuanzhen – estimated that Starlink could increase US military drones and stealth fighter jets’ data transmission speeds by more than 100 times.
SpaceX is also being watched closely by the Chinese government after it signed a contract with the US Defence Department to develop sensitive instruments based on the Starlink system that can track hypersonic missiles.
The researcher Ren Yuanzhen, in the report dated May 2022, recommended that China should upgrade its surveillance capabilities so that it can obtain high resolution images of these individual satellites to detect anything unusual.
China shows off giant ‘Anti-Starlink’ radar at airshow: Why is Musk’s satellite network a threat to Beijing?
China displayed a powerful anti-satellite radar at its recent airshow which Chinese internet users have described as an ‘anti-Starlink’ system. SpaceX owner Elon Musk has high-stakes in China with his Tesla business. However, his space venture is under the lens for the edge it might give to the...
