Starlink | Technology, Applications, and Countermeasures in the Russo-Ukraine Conflict
oops [Music] welcome to today's weapon overview I'm luo Sue and joining me in the studio today are two experts Mr Food shinchao and Mr way domshu Two Gentlemen were featured in a December 2022 Washington Post article titled how algorithms have upset the balance of the russo-ukrainian conflict which revealed the Deep involvement of American high-tech companies the Department of Defense and intelligence agencies in the conflict the article claimed that the real uniqueness of the Ukrainian military lies in their ability to obtain real-time intelligence and Target information and this unusual capability is largely due to the support of Western high-tech companies when we think of such companies the first one that comes to mind is spacex's starlink system however even before starlink a commander of the Ukrainian Navy's Marine Corps had admitted that starlink had indeed played a crucial role in the russo-ukrainian conflict how did a communication satellite product of a civilian space company becomes so important in a war let's watch a short clip according to a report by Red Star TV which is affiliated with the Russian Ministry of Defense on May 19 2022 when captured the staff officer of the Ukrainian Navy's Marine Corps 36th Brigade Colonel kormenka disclosed to Russian media that the Ukrainian military had used starlink equipment to communicate with the Ukrainian general staff at the usotsky metallurgical plant this was the first time that Russia had publicly released evidence proving that the Ukrainian military had used musk's starlink's satellite for communication in fact as early as the beginning of the conflict Ukrainian vice prime minister federov had turned to musk on Twitter asking for his help in solving the communication problems they were facing at the time musk responded on Twitter that starlink had already been launched in Ukraine and that more ground terminals would be provided in the future so we have learned from the short clip about a large number of Western media and social media sources we have described Starling terminals as a powerful tool for the Ukrainian military first let's ask Mr Foo what role do you think starlink played in the Russo Ukrainian conflict well it played a supplementary role in Battlefield Communications now with the addition of the new starlink system the Ukrainian military can have communication satellites in the sky and that is the entire starlink satellite Network consisting of thousands of satellites in this way it can greatly supplement its intelligence resources and communication capabilities thereby alleviating its shortcomings in this area at the same time it enhances its anti-jamming and communication security capabilities so it seems that the starlink system has deeply intervened in the russo-ukrainian conflict however as we know the starlink system is a civilian-grade communication system and Russia has a variety of electronic warfare and anti-electronic equipment so why didn't the Russian military interfere with the training system this time well first of all the U.S provided Ukraine with about 15 000 starlink devices objectively speaking as Mr Foo mentioned earlier as a backup Communication System it played a certain role however the Russian side did carry out electromagnetic interference mainly in two modes directly targeting the satellite's communication and disrupting electronic communications which can have a certain effect apart from its communication capabilities the starlink system also has some military applications the starlink terminals emit radiation which can be used to locate them within a specific frequency range however the presence of starlink ground stations in Turkey Poland and Lithuania has enabled signal coverage over about half of Ukraine's territory supporting the simultaneous operation of many communication devices the second generation starlink satellites have also begun to play a role in the conflict although the number of satellites that pass over the relevant areas of Ukraine is relatively small they still provide intermittent communication capabilities in addition SpaceX has a team dedicated to promptly changing the code and frequency range of the starlink system in response to Russian electronic interference thus it is difficult to suppress the starlink system completely the Russian military's electronic interference capabilities and the starlink systems communication abilities have been in a constant state of competition the speed of spacex's updates has surprised even officials at the Pentagon who are struggling to keep up with the pace of development the starlink system which is essentially a global Wi-Fi network was developed by Elon Musk SpaceX in 2015. the system consists of thousands of small satellites that provide internet access to people all over the world unlike traditional cell phone towers starlink user terminals are only the size of a pizza box and use a dish or flat panel antenna measuring half a meter square and weighing a few thousand kilograms to transmit signals to the starlink satellites in space the starlink satellites which are currently in their 1.5 version weigh only 295 kilograms and are equipped with phased array communication antennas for communication with ground terminals laser transponders for communication between satellites and the star tracker navigation system for precise positioning the satellites are powered by a solar panel array and are equipped with ion thrusters that use Krypton as fuel to maintain their altitude the low cost of the starlink satellites which cost only five hundred thousand dollars each including launch costs and spacex's expertise in low-cost rocket launches have made it possible to launch large numbers of satellites into orbit in January 2021 SpaceX set a new record by launching 143 starlink satellites into space with a single Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Florida as of mid-july 2022 there were over 2750 starlink satellites in orbit more than one tenth of the total number of satellites in orbit around the world in the previous video we were introduced to the ground Terminals and satellites of the starlink system as of mid-july there are over 2750 starlink satellites in orbit and Elon Musk has proudly announced plans to launch over 40 000 starlink satellites in total however the carrying capacity of near-earth orbit is limited and this is a public resource if musk's plans to launch over 40 000 satellites are realized there will be significant adverse effects the starlink satellites orbit at a height of approximately 400 kilometers which is the same height as the International Space Station and the Chinese space station if any of the 40 000 satellites drift and lose control they could pose a threat to these space stations in fact the Chinese space station has already had two near-miss incidents due to uncontrolled satellites this poses a significant risk to the Space Station's operations another problem with having over 40 000 satellites in orbit is that they would occupy communication Spectrum resources there is an Unwritten rule in International Space navigation but the first to occupy a frequency Channel or orbit has priority if starlink occupies these resources it will have a significant impact on both Aerospace and astronomy the impact on astronomy will be particularly significant because the near-earth orbit would be filled with starlink satellites which could cause interference with telescopes when telescopes take images they require long exposures and the satellites would create streaks of light in the images making it difficult to observe distance celestial bodies as a result it will have a negative impact on scientific research the starlink systems military applications are also a cause for concern although the system is marketed as providing high-speed internet services it has deep ties to the US military the systems communication capabilities have already proved invaluable in the russo-ukrainian conflict however the military applications of the system raise ethical questions about the role of technology in conflicts and the potential consequences of its use in summary the starlink system's impact on near-earth orbit is already significant and musk's plans to launch over 40 000 satellites could pose significant risks to both space operations and scientific research Additionally the system's military applications raise ethical concerns about the role of technology in conflicts for instance some of the launch sites are located within the Vandenberg Air Force base in the United States and the technical verification tests of the satellites have involved classified Communications between starlink and U.S military fighter jets
these aspects indicate that the system was designed with military applications in mind moreover the vast number of starlink satellites can carry small payloads such as navigation and reconnaissance equipment enhancing the U.S military's capabilities in remote sensing communication navigation and targeting in fact the system has already collaborated with the U.S military multiple times including a successful data transmission test in March 2022 by the U.S Air Force's f-315a using starlink satellites the transmission speed of the starlink system was 30 times faster than traditional methods reaching 160 megabytes per second once fully operational starlink could provide seamless Global surveillance and monitoring making the U.S military's
Battlefield situation one-way transparent providing higher situational awareness and offering high bandwidth high-speed communication services for soldiers worldwide it could also improve the accuracy and anti-jamming capabilities of the U.S military's command and communication Network provide more precise navigation and targeting information for remote and precision strikes and increase their destructive effectiveness although starlink is marketed for civilian use it has strong ties to the U.S military in addition to providing high-speed data bandwidth for U.S military aircraft ships and tanks the starlink system has significant military potential the system's large number of satellites could be used strategically to compete for space resources on behalf of the White House and the Pentagon furthermore the starlink satellites can provide navigation functionality once they reach a certain quantity in a fixed orbital layer though what is different from GPS navigation and positioning principles with unique algorithms the system can provide relatively precise positioning this backup positioning function can provide technical support for the U.S military's deployment including the use of precision-guided weapons the most significant military potential of the starlink system is its ability to swarm attack other countries high-value military space platforms such as military satellites using its unique orbital maneuverability and large quantity of satellites this could be a significant threat as the cost of starlink satellites is low and they can be launched at any time via Rockets allowing them to be quickly replenished therefore the military potential of the starlink system may become more apparent over time in conclusion the starlink system has significant military potential as it can provide advanced communication and navigation services for U.S military operations and its large number of satellites can be strategically used to compete for space resources in addition the system's backup positioning function and swarm attack capability could enhance the U.S military's Precision
targeting an anti-satellite capabilities the statement by Elon Musk that the starlink system marks the end of the GPS era implies the potential of the system Beyond civilian use Professor Foo well first of all his statement is a bit excessive after equipping the starlink system with this civilian or military system it can indeed enhance the scope of unmanned aerial vehicles uavs for example in the recent conflict between Russia and Ukraine the tb2 UAV did not have a satellite Communications system as it did not have a means of communicating with the communication satellites in the sky therefore it could only be controlled by the ground control station which is limited in its controlling capability this u80 can only fly at an altitude of a few thousand meters with a maximum range of around 150 kilometers up to 200 kilometers at most to expand its range such as to about 400 kilometers a relay UAV in the sky can transmit data to it now that the starlink system is available it can use the starlink system to create a communication relay satellite as a result its operating radius can be increased the question is can it replace manned aircraft no not yet because its intelligence level is too low even if it is a future swarm UAV with a certain level of intelligence it still cannot perform many tasks and requires a manned aircraft to control it whether it is a fighter jet or an early warning aircraft because these intelligent uavs if left to make decisions on their own can be very dangerous and they may become cold-blooded Killers indeed the term killer is very appropriate isn't it who dares to allow them to operate freely this is a big so Professor Foo is absolutely right they could become cold-blooded Killers even more frightening is that if they are controlled by hackers they may even retaliate against their controllers okay Professor Foos point is that there is no way to replace manned aircraft Mr way what do you think well I think musk's statement not only has his own business logic but also implies some military conspiracy with the Pentagon first of all musk is successful in the automotive industry and the commercialization of launch vehicles and satellites now the starlink satellite system has started its Global layout why did he mention uavs maybe his next product is a UAV since the starlink satellite constellation system can cover the world and has strong communication bandwidth in the future when he develops uavs that can be used for military and civilian purposes they can be supported by the starlink system in any airspace around the world the Pentagon can then purchase them in bulk making it a so-called cheap swarm UAV that can be used for reconnaissance and direct Firepower strikes therefore it is not ruled out that the next step is to develop a UAV system within the related one point to consider is that as the U.S military upgrades its combat platforms with more intelligence it faces communication obstacles for example the F-35 stealth fighter has powerful onboard Computing capabilities but it is limited by communication bandwidth which hinders timely transmission of critical data and intelligence to the combat platform however integrating the starlink satellite system with the F-35 or even the sixth generation fighter jet will overcome this communication barrier with the increased bandwidth and data capacity the fighter jets can integrate more Battlefield data and intelligence and their computing power can reach Peak Performance the starlink system and its parent company SpaceX maintain close cooperation with the U.S military to counter the potential military applications of the starlink system anti-satellite missiles have been developed and tested successfully by China Russia and the US for example the Russian s-500 air defense system can intercept ballistic missiles and reconnaissance satellites in low earth orbit however anti-satellite missiles are expensive and not cost effective against the low-cost starlink satellites which can be launched in batches with just five hundred thousand dollars for satellite another anti-satellite weapon under development is the laser weapon however the power required to destroy a satellite in low earth orbit is enormous another option is to destroy or capture enemy satellites in space which has been proposed by the mccoyan design Bureau with the development of the mig-41 Interceptor which can carry long-range missiles to attack enemy satellites despite these existing anti-satellite measures they are not effective against the massive and low-cost starlink satellite Network therefore using traditional anti-missile interceptors is not feasible due to their high cost and low Effectiveness instead directed energy weapons such as laser cannons or laser dazzlers can be used to interfere with the signals and sensors of the starlink system rendering it ineffective from a cost-benefit perspective using a directed energy weapon like a laser cannon is an effective choice in conclusion the starlink system's military potential and the potential risks to the global space environment and scientific research require careful consideration while there are existing anti-satellite measures they may not be effective against the massive starlink Network therefore it is essential to explore new anti-satellite strategies such as directed energy weapons to ensure the peaceful and sustainable use of space for all countries and future Generations Professor Foo what do you think the laser cannon is indeed an excellent weapon system to deal with various satellites but it can be interfered with for example if there are dense clouds the laser may not be able to find the Target or the Laser's power may be significantly attenuated therefore we can consider using another form of directed energy weapon the electromagnetic pulse EMP weapon the EMP weapon can be classified as both a soft kill weapon and a hard kill weapon the primary function of the weapon is to emit a high power electromagnetic wave which is sufficient to destroy a satellite especially the starlink satellites which fly at a relatively low altitude and are susceptible to interference another option is to develop missiles with multiple Warheads that can track and attack different satellites this approach can significantly reduce the cost of anti-satellite measures there are many other strategies such as launching satellites to intercept Communications satellites or using a net in space to capture satellites and bring them back to Earth for Destruction however the key issue is whether the starlink system will be used for military or civilian purposes in this program we revealed the massive potential of the starlink system for military applications and we must be vigilant about its impact on Global Security in conclusion the militarization of the starlink system could provide the U.S
military with a significant advantage on future battlefields however it is essential to consider the potential risks and ethical implications of using such a system for military purposes thank you to our guests for joining us and we look forward to our next program
2023-07-17 15:01
