China Researches Ways to Disrupt Satellite Internet

China is examining how to disrupt satellite Internet, noting that while constellation networks are resilient, jamming could be possible at a high cost. In an academic paper published in Chinese last month, researchers estimated that disrupting signals from Starlink to a region the size of Taiwan would require 1,000 to 2,000 drones, a finding cited in a South China Morning Post report according to the article.

The piece, dated 3 December 2025, cites ETH Zürich’s Clemence Poirier and CSIS’s Clayton Swope to underline that space-based communications are central to modern operations and that interference, including cyber and electronic warfare, is increasingly considered a grey-zone tactic. It also notes that Starlink currently operates about 9,000 satellites in low-earth orbit, while OneWeb has more than 600 satellites, highlighting the challenge of reliably disrupting distributed networks.

The article frames China’s research as part of broader counter-space thinking, with experts stressing that space has become the backbone of military operations and that rival nations are advancing both offensive and defensive capabilities.