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.
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.
