China warns that the world should be careful of the United States potentially militarizing SpaceX's Starlink satellite internet infrastructure.
According to officials, the enormous cube sat constellation might empower the US to dominate cyberspace. The People's Liberation Army (PLA) study explains why Starlink is concerning.
"The program's unchecked expansion and the company's ambition to use it for military purposes should put the international community on high alert," PLA said.
View of an antenna of the Starlink satellite internet at the Jhon F. Kennedy school in Sotomo, Los Lagos Region in southern Chile, on August 8, 2021. - South African billionaire Elon Mask's SpaceX company's Starlink started to deliver internet access Friday in Chile, making it the first country in Latin America and the southern hemisphere to have access to this experimental service.
SpaceX Starlink is Risky, China Says
According to reports, the US government can utilize SpaceX's Starlink satellite network to control space.
Chinese officials added that militarizing Starlink was previously witnessed in the battle between Russia and Ukraine when Elon Musk utilized his internet service to back Ukraine.
"The Starlink project has decided to increase the planned 12,000 satellites to 42,000, underscoring that it is widely distributed, flexible and could be reconfigured quickly. The ambition to militarize Starlink and its barbaric expansion deserve high alert from the international community," The South China Morning Post said.
They went on to say that Starlink is capable of more than just improving communication. According to the Chinese military, SpaceX's internet satellites might be used to interface with UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) and collect facial recognition data.
Aside from that, the People's Liberation Army believes that once SpaceX's artificial mega constellation is completed, the US government will be able to utilize it to achieve global situational awareness.
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Despite being designed for civilian usage, the Starlink system receives money and infrastructure support from the US military.
The article warned that Starlink could provide large bandwidth and high-speed military communication services with global coverage. Per SCMP, the feature would allow United States military to build a better command communication network covering uncrewed aircraft, strategic bombers, nuclear submarines, and other combat platforms."
The same SCMP report added that Starlink might create a second, independent internet, threatening governments' cyberspace sovereignty.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket recently launched 53 Starlink satellites this week. Jonathan McDowell, an astrophysicist who constantly monitors spaceflight activities, said per SpaceFlightNow that more than 2,100 of those satellites are in orbit and operational as of Friday.
SpaceX's satellite internet network delivers the satellite Internet connection to 32 nations where it has been approved for usage.
China vs. SpaceX Starlink
As Science Times reported, China also voiced worries about Starlink after its Tiangong space station had two near-misses with Starlink satellites a few months ago. Other reports mentioned that Beijing accused the US of violating international treaty responsibilities and engaging in reckless and dangerous behavior in space at the time.
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk defended Starlinks. He argued in Financial Times that that space is "just extremely enormous." He added that the ship he is sending into it is "very tiny," implying that the issue is not as severe as it appears. Musk is said to have a tight contact with Chinese government officials.
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