Chinese scientists claim that they could now launch hundreds of mini satellites called “CubeSats” from a large mothership in space with lethal precision and speed. Each CubeSat weights about two pounds. These satellites are so complex that they require artificial intelligence (AI) to control them. According to the researchers, the potential complexity of a large-scale space battle would be so immense that it would be beyond the capability of a human brain or even many artificial intelligence systems.
The report on this work was published in the peer-reviewed journal Chinese Space Science and Technology. The researchers said that creating the right AI system to control the mothership and CubeSats would have “strong economic and military value”. This report comes as China alleges that SpaceX satellites came “dangerously close” to their new space station twice last year and threatened to shoot them down. Months later, Chinese and U.S. satellites engaged in a game of “geostationary orbit cat and mouse”, according to the report.
Zhang Jin led the research detailed in the report. He said that the CubeSats could be used to patrol and defend against rogue forces in space using sophisticated AI algorithms that tell the drones where to go and what to attack. Researchers refer to this as the “multi-round greedy search strategy”. They say that they can instruct up to four motherships to attack nine hostile targets in less than a day. When tested, the AI algorithm was able to instruct CubeSats to destroy enemy targets in four minutes. The new system is extremely efficient and can plot trajectories that require the least amount of fuel and energy. This means that the swarms can remain in combat for longer. Professor Zhang said, “In the future, we will add randomness to the search strategy to overcome the limitations of the greedy algorithm and obtain global optimal results.”
The new report comes as China claims that it has developed an anti-satellite AI system that has mastered the art of deception. A trial of the lethal system found that the AI controlled three small satellites to approach and capture a high-value target. The test was repeated thousands of times.
China has also launched an AI drone mothership called the Zhu Hai Yun that is able to operate and potentially launch military attacks autonomously. According to the Chinese, this new vessel is designed for marine research but there have already been fears that it could be used to launch attacks on the U.S. Navy and other potential adversaries.
The Zhu Hai Yun can hit top speeds of twenty miles per hour and can carry around fifty aerial, surface and underwater drones. China has invested heavily in the development of drone warfare systems over the past ten years. China intends to achieve military parity with the U.S. by 2049.
Brendan Mulvaney, an ex-marine, told an interviewer, “If we wait 10 or more years before we see a major conflict, the scope and scale of drones are going to change a lot. You may have effective and larger munitions coming off drones, but smaller drones could be weaponized to the point where you have this intermingling of a long-range autonomous weapon. We often think of aviation drones but there’s a whole suite of unmanned vehicles that bring more capability, making it more challenging for the adversaries.”
Seth Frantzman is a drone expert. He said, “Drones will not just slam into a ship with people on board. Drones from the air could attack machines in the sea and we could see something that looks more like Star Wars.”