this post was submitted on 10 Jan 2025
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I see the Chinese have found access to space rivers?
But jokes aside, I think it's a bit clickbaity (from the article) to say "China plans" when the article only mentions a single scientist who is pretty much saying "wouldn't it be cool if we had this?". I'm sure out of all countries, China could build this, but I'd temper my excitement from just this statement.
Yeah, and orbital microwave power stations also have arms-control treaty implications. China has agreed (through accession) to following the stipulations of the Outer Space Treaty which forbids weapons of mass destruction in space. The difference between a microwave power transmitter and an orbiting energy weapon is only the difference between aiming it at a ground station's rectennas and aiming it at a military target. Traditional ground-based solar power has its flaws but at least it's an undeniably peaceful project.
Everything is dual use if you look at an economy holistically. Also like as a weapon it's kind of terrible. You fire it once and your enemy retaliates with MAD, completely destroying geosynchronous orbit with debris.
I was thinking about this specific project's geopolitical implications more from a perspective of "how will the paranoiacs in the US upper echelons react?" I agree that it's supremely unlikely that the Chinese government would actually weaponize it. But the American establishment would freak out at the possibility, due to projection. They've had dreams of orbiting energy weapons for as long as they've had spaceflight, often in the form of solar collectors powering microwave transmitters.
Wouldn't even need to do a MAD really, if this was even a threat they could debris up an orbit pretty quick. Probably real easy to point a spy satellite at another satellite too
What if I say, I had a creative work where china defeats the us by using orbital laser weapons?
I'd take a look at it
*Archimedes joins the chat
I was thinking the literal guy the weapon was named after but yes
Basically everything interesting in space is a targeting change from being a weapon of mass destruction, from Sputnik right on.
Absolutely. It's all dual-use tech.
Carve out a 50 year plan and get it done in 10. Meanwhile the private sector finally sets up its own space station that stays in orbit for 3 days.