China advances in developing “Death Star”-like microwave weapon able to destroy satellites

Chinese scientists made significant advances in developing a high-power microwave weapon system that uses multiple transmitting vehicles to synchronize electromagnetic waves into a single concentrated beam. The researchers created a system capable of generating a power beam by synchronizing multiple electromagnetic waves, combining many small electromagnetic waves with ultra-precise timing technology to create one large focused laser beam, enabling it to attack a single target.

The purpose of this technology is to deactivate satellites in space, and it can suppress the signals of American GPS and other satellites. Tests have shown that this device can disrupt U.S. GPS signals and affect other satellites, with experiments confirming it can effectively suppress signals from American GPS and "reach many targets," according to reports. Using this technology, Chinese scientists say they could suppress signals of satellites, achieving multiple goals such as teaching and training, new technology verification, and military exercises.

The new Chinese system consists of seven transmitting vehicles. Each microwave vehicle must be deployed with a position error margin of only a few millimeters. The margin of error in the position of each microwave vehicle cannot exceed a few millimeters. The Chinese scientists equipped each transmitting vehicle with auxiliary laser range positioning devices to obtain coordinates at the necessary level of millimeters. Greater precision has now been achieved by using optical fibers to connect the microwave-transmitting vehicles.

The technology employed by the Chinese researchers will synchronize everything temporally and with ultra-high precision. The synchronization aligns the rays so that they converge at a single focal point. In order for the microwave beams to concentrate into a single beam, the electromagnetic pulses must hit the same target at a speed within 170 trillionths of a second, necessitating ultra-precise synchronization technology. Time synchronization must be to no more than 170 picoseconds, which is a relatively short time.

The advance lies in the process of "ultra-high precision temporal synchronization" that allows the rays to join and focus on a single point, enabling precision among the smaller lasers that exceeds the accuracy of atomic clocks. The Chinese research team can now generate a precision among the small lasers that exceeds the accuracy of the atomic clocks used in GPS satellites. According to the South China Morning Post, the researchers have made significant advances in developing a high-power microwave weapon capable of generating a power beam by synchronizing multiple electromagnetic waves into a single concentrated beam.

A main mobile command center organizes the control of the beams, analyzes data from various platforms, and issues attack orders to the transmitting vehicles. The technology maintains the transmitters with high precision in both their position and activation. The combined power of the beams exceeds that of the individual beams, thanks to the effect of combining the waves. It is reported that the scientists have created beams that are stronger than the sum of the individual beams.

The system is designed for operations that take place in space and not at sea, on land, or in the atmosphere. The technology has already passed preliminary tests. The use of optical fibers has been fundamental to the success of this technology, as Chinese scientists connected the timing devices on these platforms using optical fibers to achieve synchronization. This weapon reveals and highlights the importance of advancing technologies, taking it from a movie idea to reality, albeit in a completely different context.

The latest energy beam weapon takes inspiration from Star Wars but lacks the power to blow up entire planets. The Death Star is the most iconic super-weapon in Star Wars, famously depicted in a scene where it fires an energy beam that destroys a planet, which has long been part of popular culture. The Chinese scientists have taken a step forward to create technology similar to the Death Star's energy beam, capable of wiping out enemy satellites in orbit.

Sources: Marca, La Razn, Mirror

This article was written in collaboration with generative AI company Alchemiq