By Yue Chen and Chen Yue

岳晨、陈岳

SpaceX successfully launched 21 Starlink satellites using the Falcon 9 rocket on January 3. Six of them have "direct-to-cell" capability. After enabling direct-to-cell service, the next-generation Starlink satellites can provide cellphones with direct broadband connectivity, supporting text, voice, and data transmission. Once this service is widely adopted, the Starlink system will connect to a large number of communication devices and realize seamless global communication.

1月3日，美国太空探索技术公司使用猎鹰9号火箭，成功发射21颗“星链”卫星，其中6颗卫星具备“直连手机”功能。开通手机直连上网业务后，新一代“星链”卫星可为手机提供直连卫星的宽带网络，支持文本、语音和数据传输。未来这一业务实现大规模应用后，“星链”系统将接入大量通信设备，实现全球无缝通信。

Starlink is a massive low Earth orbit satellite constellation created by SpaceX. It consists of 42,000 low-cost small satellites and aims to create a fully covered satellite broadband network in low Earth orbit. Launched in 2015, Starlink currently has 5,491 satellites in orbit and has achieved preliminary global networking. It is accelerating its deployment capabilities through its network.

“星链”是由美太空探索技术公司打造的巨型低轨卫星星座，由4.2万颗低成本小卫星组成，目的是在低地球轨道上创建一个全覆盖的卫星宽带网络。“星链”计划于2015年推出，目前有5491颗在轨卫星，初步实现全球组网，并依托体系能力加速布局。

Since it was launched, the Starlink project has maintained high deployment efficiency. Data shows that since the end of 2019, the project has been deploying 44 satellites per month. With the introduction of second-generation Starlink satellites, it is pushing deployment at a pace of producing six satellites and thousands of user terminals per day. With the use of the Starship super-heavy rocket, the second-generation Starlink satellites are expected to be deployed on a larger scale with higher efficiency.

“星链”计划自启动以来，始终保持较高的部署效率。数据显示，2019年底以来，“星链”计划以每月发射44颗卫星的速度进行部署，二代“星链”卫星出现后，该计划以每天生产6颗卫星和数千个用户终端的速度推动部署。在“星—舰”超重型火箭投入使用后，二代“星链”卫星预计将以更高效率进行大规模部署。

In regional conflicts, Starlink satellites help establish a strike chain to support ground forces in combat thanks to its advantages such as rapid deployment, flexible networking, and reliability. Additionally, SpaceX announced plans to launch 15,000 Starshield satellites to support the establishment of a rapid closed kill chain by the US military.

在地区冲突中，“星链”卫星凭借快速部署、灵活组网、稳定可靠等优势，协助建立打击链，支持地面部队作战。另外，美太空探索技术公司宣布将发射1.5万颗“星盾”卫星，用于支持美军建立快速闭合杀伤链。

Since 2023, leveraging the advantages of low Earth orbit satellite constellation deployment technology and rocket launch capabilities, SpaceX has continued its efforts to promote Starlink project launch missions, accelerate the optimization of its system capabilities, expand its military applications, and continuously promote the layout of the low Earth orbit satellite constellation to achieve strategic advantages.

2023年以来，美太空探索技术公司依托低轨卫星星群布控技术和火箭发射技术优势，继续“星链”计划发射任务，加速优化其体系功能，拓展其军事应用，持续推动低轨卫星星座布局，形成战略优势。

The Starlink project can provide global network communication, military reconnaissance, and space confrontation capabilities and serve as a crucial lever for the US to achieve space dominance. With the acceleration of its deployment, it will significantly impact space strategic stability, intensify the space arms race, and have negative implications for space security and governance.

“星链”计划能够提供覆盖全球的网络通信、军事侦察和太空对抗能力，是美国实现太空霸权的重要抓手。随着其加速部署，将严重影响太空战略稳定，加剧太空军备竞赛，给太空安全与太空治理带来负面影响。

First, Starlink has a clear military focus and strategic intentions. The US is intensifying its deployment of Starlink to strengthen its operational capabilities and deterrent advantages, obtain the competitive advantage as a major power from the offensive and defensive pattern, confrontation situation, and power balance, and undermine the stability of space strategy.

首先，“星链”计划军事色彩明显，蕴含战略意图。美加紧“星链”在太空领域的布局，旨在依托“星链”计划，强化作战能力和威慑优势，从攻防格局、对抗态势和力量对比上获取大国竞争优势，破坏太空战略稳定。

Second, Starlink occupies a significant amount of space frequency resources. It has further intensified the global competition for low Earth orbit resources and initiated a new round of space arms race.

其次，“星链”计划占据大量太空频轨资源，进一步加剧全球低轨资源竞争态势，已拉开新一轮太空军备竞赛。

Third, the high-density deployment of the Starlink project poses a serious threat to the security of space assets of various countries and affects the normal operation of satellites from other nations. In addition, the Starshield satellites can undertake suicide missions against space vehicles and carry weapon payloads for space strike missions, which poses a threat to space security.

再次，“星链”计划高密度部署，严重威胁各国太空资产安全，并影响其他国家的卫星正常运行。此外，“星盾”卫星可承担自杀式攻击太空航天器任务，还可加装武器载荷遂行太空打击任务，给太空安全带来威胁。

(The author is from the War Studies College of the Academy of Military Sciences of the Chinese PLA.)

（作者单位：军事科学院战争研究院）