20 Gigawatts of Nonsense: Why “EM Weapons Against Starlink” Are a Myth?
Is Starlink really under threat? Is China preparing a new kind of “Star Wars”? And what is actually behind the so-called “leaks from Chinese research laboratories”?
From time to time, media outlets roll out loud, alarming headlines like:
“Chinese scientists have developed the world’s first weapon capable of destroying Starlink.”
There are hundreds of such stories. They travel from one website to another, picking up dramatic details along the way and creating the illusion that somewhere out there already exists a “magic button” — one that can switch satellites off or knock them out of orbit.
The problem is simple: it isn’t true.
A textbook example of this kind of media exaggeration is the recent wave of articles about yet another so-called Starlink killer — a Chinese “wonder weapon” allegedly based on microwave electromagnetic radiation with a power of 20 gigawatts. Let’s unpack why this narrative collapses on contact with reality.
Where does the manipulation start?
Almost all of these articles reference some scientific paper or experimental setup — and then quietly replace its actual meaning with something far more sensational.
The same happened with a study by Chinese researchers describing the development of a compact, lightweight pulsed power driver based on a Tesla transformer, capable of delivering up to 20 GW.
What tends to get lost is a crucial detail:
the study was not about a weapon at all. It focused exclusively on power supply and energy delivery — in other words, on how one might theoretically power such a system.
Naturally, no one wants to read a headline like:
“Researchers study energy delivery solutions for pulsed electromagnetic systems.”
But phrases like “Starlink killer” or “invisible space weapon” generate clicks instantly. And once the headline does its job, who really bothers reading the fine print?
Between “scientists investigated a power source for pulsed electromagnetic radiation” and “a weapon capable of destroying Starlink has been created” lies a gap roughly the size of common sense.
So what is the research actually about?
The paper discusses nothing more than the challenge of supplying 20 GW of power to a hypothetical electromagnetic system.
Even in laboratory or test-range experiments involving pulsed EM effects, one basic rule always applies:
these systems are tested against unprotected electronics, and they work only at very short distances — a few kilometers at best.
Not tens of kilometers. And certainly not hundreds.
Even the boldest public claims mention ranges of 1 to 6 kilometers. There is not a single confirmed example of such a system working effectively at a distance of even 9 km.
When it comes to hunting satellites in low Earth orbit, this is roughly equivalent to trying to swat a modern jet aircraft with a flyswatter.
You might hit something — but only at point-blank range, and even then the result is questionable.
“Point-blank,” in this context, still means several kilometers — against an object moving at roughly 28,000 km/h.
This has nothing to do with Starlink — or satellites at all
Starlink consists of thousands of satellites orbiting hundreds of kilometers above Earth — and eventually, tens of thousands more.
Comparing systems that operate over a few kilometers to the “destruction of satellites” is like claiming that a pocket flashlight could illuminate the Moon just because it’s “very bright.”
On a space scale, such distances are effectively meaningless.
At best, one could talk about disabling drones or nearby electronics — and even then primarily in a defensive role. Any large, expensive system deployed at such short ranges would be detected and neutralized very quickly.
Even the physical size of the 20 GW power transformer alone — visible in images from the study — makes it clear that calling the system “compact” is generous at best.
The idea of a realistic carrier platform for such a “wonder weapon” belongs more to science fiction than to modern space warfare.
So why do these stories keep appearing?
Because:
the word “Starlink” guarantees clicks,
“EMP” or “EM weapon” sounds terrifying,
20 gigawatts and dense technical jargon look impressive,
China, amid ongoing tensions with the U.S., actively fuels interest in its space programs,
and about a hundred thousand other similar reasons.
The fact that most readers don’t distinguish between a scientific study, a prototype, and an operational weapons system is of little concern to anyone.
This isn’t a conspiracy. There is no “secret superweapon.”
It’s informational noise born at the intersection of complex science and simplified journalism — what we usually just call loud headlines.
The conclusion is straightforward
As of today, there is no confirmed, effective weapon capable of disabling satellites — or Starlink — at long ranges.
Missiles, lasers, cannons — all of these can theoretically damage individual satellites, while conveniently generating clouds of debris in the process. But when we’re talking about thousands of satellites in low Earth orbit, the gap between theory and practice remains very wide.
And very, very expensive.
All the Kremlin-amplified ideas about orbital destruction — “kinetic interceptors,” “nuclear detonations in space,” and similar concepts — are like firing a shotgun into a cloud of insects while portraits of Xi Jinping and Donald Trump hang directly behind the target.
You won’t eliminate the insects. But you will make enemies for life.
Which, incidentally, is something the Kremlin understands perfectly well.
Unfortunately, we will see more and more headlines like this going forward. Satellite systems and satellite communications are guaranteed to remain a “hot” topic through 2026–2027.
And loud words, as always, travel much farther than any electromagnetic pulse ever could.
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