In response, China launches its own satellite initiatives. The state-owned China SatNet company is developing Guowang, a military-capable constellation that has already deployed sixty of its planned 13,000 satellites. Additionally, Shanghai-backed Qianfan launches ninety satellites, targeting international markets in Asia and beyond.
The potential impact of these countermeasures extends beyond Chinese borders. As Starlink satellites simultaneously serve multiple regions, any successful attacks could disrupt service for users across Europe, Ukraine, the United States, and other territories, creating widespread cybersecurity implications.
“We are allies with the United States of America, but we need to have our strategic autonomy,” says Christophe Grudler, a French member of the European Union’s Parliament who led legislative work on the European Union’s competing IRIS2 initiative.
