The ‘Starlink Killer’: How China’s New Microwave Weapon Could Disrupt Satellite Swarms

Last Updated:February 09, 2026, 10:05 IST

Chinese researchers have built the world’s smallest driver for a high-power microwave weapon, a system that could be used to disrupt satellite networks such as Starlink.

China has developed a compact, ultra-powerful energy driver that researchers say could become a next-generation tool for disabling large satellite constellations such as SpaceX’s Starlink network.

The system, called the TPG1000Cs, has been developed at the Northwest Institute of Nuclear Technology (NINT) in Xian, Shaanxi province, and is described as a major leap in the miniaturisation and efficiency of high-power microwave (HPM) weapons.

HPM weapons have gained momentum because they offer a low-cost way to disrupt electronics. Instead of destroying satellites with missiles or kinetic interceptors, which would generate large amounts of orbital debris, directed-energy systems can disable them without leaving traceable fragments. They also offer near-unlimited firing capacity because the weapon’s pulses are generated from stored electrical energy rather than ammunition.

What Is China’s TPG1000Cs

At the heart of the new weapon is a compact pulse generator measuring just four metres long and weighing about five tonnes. Despite its modest size, the system can deliver an extraordinary 20 gigawatts of power for up to one full minute — a capability that has not been documented in any comparable device.

Chinese researchers describe it as the world’s first compact driver for a high-power microwave weapon. Earlier systems were far bulkier: most prototype pulse generators measured at least 10 metres in length and weighed more than 10 tonnes, limiting their deployment options.

Russia’s Sinus-7 driver, for instance, could run for about a second, delivering roughly 100 pulses per burst, and weighed around 10 tonnes.

The TPG1000Cs, by contrast, is compact enough to be mounted on trucks, warships, aircraft or even satellites. Researchers say it has already completed about 200,000 operational pulses and has demonstrated stable performance over continuous one-minute firing durations.

According to the study published in the journal High Power Laser and Particle Beams, “The system has demonstrated stable operation over continuous one-minute durations, accumulating approximately 200,000 pulses with consistent performance."

Why Satellite Swarms Like Starlink Are The Target

In recent years, China has repeatedly flagged Starlink as a national security concern.

Chinese military researchers are now developing new “Starlink killer" weapons – including high-power microwave systems and lasers – that could counter big constellations of low-orbit satellites in a cost-effective way if needed.

The network’s thousands of low-Earth orbit satellites are designed to provide resilient global connectivity and can rapidly support military logistics, communications, and targeting. Because of their large numbers and low altitude, disabling them through conventional weapons is inefficient and risky.

“The potential military application value of the Starlink megaconstellation has been highlighted in the Russia-Ukraine conflict," Chinese researchers from Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics wrote in a study earlier this year.

“In recent years, the militarisation of space has intensified, posing a significant threat to China’s space security. It is particularly important to track and monitor its operational status," they wrote in the research published in the journal Systems Engineering and Electronics.

A ground-based microwave weapon with an output over 1 gigawatt could, according to The Independent, severely disrupt or damage Starlink satellites in low orbit.

SpaceX has been lowering the orbital altitude of these satellites to reduce collision risks, but the reduced altitude also makes them more susceptible to attack from ground-based directed-energy weapons. If China eventually deploys the TPG1000Cs in space, its invisible strikes would become even more lethal and harder to detect, according to SCMP.

Last year, scientists from the Beijing Institute of Technology simulated a way to disrupt Starlink satellites spread across an area the size of Taiwan.

How The Device Generates Such Massive Power

To achieve its compact form and high output, the TPG1000Cs incorporates a series of engineering breakthroughs. Researchers used a special liquid insulating material called “Midel 7131" to increase energy storage density while improving insulation and reducing losses.

“By adopting a high-energy-density liquid dielectric Midel 7131 and a dual-width pulse-forming line, the study achieved miniaturisation of an integrated Tesla transformer and pulse-forming system," scientists wrote in the study.

The device works by storing electrical energy and releasing it in a sudden pulse, similar to how a Tesla coil functions. This spike drives the microwave generator. Traditional systems required long, straight energy-storage tubes, making them lengthy and heavy. The Chinese team instead used a dual-U-shaped structure that allows energy to bounce back and forth, achieving the same performance in roughly half the space.

What Makes This System Different

Earlier high-power microwave drivers could fire only in very short bursts, typically lasting no more than a few seconds. The TPG1000Cs, however, can operate continuously for up to a minute and deliver an estimated 3,000 high-energy pulses in a single session — a dramatic increase over legacy systems.

The researchers emphasised in their December 30 paper that the device “has already accumulated more than 200,000 operational pulses, demonstrating stable and reliable performance and opening the way for multi-platform deployment of high-power systems".

If eventually deployed on a satellite, such a system could fire pulses directly at other spacecraft, quietly disabling electronics without creating debris. From the ground, its 20-gigawatt spike would be powerful enough that low-orbit satellites could face significant disruption.

Because the weapon uses electrical pulses rather than ammunition, it has unusually low operating costs compared to kinetic anti-satellite systems, which require precision-guided missiles. This cost-effectiveness is part of why China, the US, and Russia have been racing to advance HPM technology.

Why China Sees This As A Strategic Priority

The TPG1000Cs reflects an effort to create a directed-energy capability that could, if required, neutralise satellite swarms in a way that avoids debris, enables repeated use, and allows for a degree of plausible deniability.

Although the weapon remains a research-level system with no publicly stated deployment timeline, its design suggests multiple platforms are feasible, from vehicles to ships to aircraft, and eventually satellites.

News world The ‘Starlink Killer’: How China’s New Microwave Weapon Could Disrupt Satellite Swarms

Read More