Simulation: Great Power Technology

Low Earth orbit, at an altitude of 570 km.

In the "Dragon" manned spacecraft, four "non-professional" astronauts are recording the data of the just-concluded Starlink system orbit change operation through the operation panel in front of them.

In fact, the orbit change operation of the Starlink system can be initiated from the ground. The reason why the space shuttle is equipped with the control system is essentially a disaster preparedness consideration for the military of the ugly country.

They want to test whether they can control a large-scale satellite constellation through directional microwave communication in the air when ground communication is completely disrupted, so as to avoid information leakage caused by ground monitoring.

Before the launch of the Dragon spacecraft, this was only one of their side missions, but as the situation took a turn for the worse, the status of this side mission also rose, and it became one of the most important missions.

Track change operations like this, they have done twice in three days - of course, what they are doing is not a real track change, but a simulated data transmission.

For satellites, the stored fuel is consumed every time the orbit change is performed, and when the fuel is exhausted, the life of the satellite ends.

After all, an uncontrollable satellite is actually no different from space junk.

Among the four astronauts, Jane is the eldest. Her real identity is a senior engineer at NASA. This time, as an ordinary person, she actually used the cover of the Intelligence Bureau.

At this time, she has completed the final data calculation and transmitted the data to the International Space Station thousands of kilometers away, and is waiting for the response from the space station.

Half an hour later, the space station replied to check the information, and after another half an hour, a plaintext message with the content "Grand Canyon" was delivered to the Dragon spacecraft.

At this point, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.

In fact, two days ago, she had already received the ciphertext message from the ground, and the ciphertext content was "Red Sparrow".

This is the second time in her 20 years of practice that she has received information transmitted through this ciphertext system, which is completely based on human brain records. The last time she received it was when a major crisis occurred.

This system consists of 160 words, each of which represents a specific situation or action strategy. It is completely unrecorded in the electronic system, and is purely based on word of mouth from intelligence personnel after entering the industry.

Obviously, this is to ensure maximum security, and it can even be called a password that is almost impossible to crack - at least in the early days of the war, when there is no large-scale basis for action as a reference, this system is a complete black box.

And this time, the first cipher text she received was the "Red Sparrow" with the highest priority in the entire system, which means that a comprehensive information leak has occurred, and any information transmitted through the electronic system can no longer be trusted. , all actions are carried out according to the initial plan.

Therefore, when she passed the Starlink orbit change data, she actually not only used various methods to encrypt the files, but even the data itself had two sets, one of which had been tampered with on the key nodes, only the real contact with the Starlink system. The relevant personnel in the control can see the difference.

The message "Grand Canyon" is the sign that the other party has completed the identification.

Jane sighed deeply, untied the restraint belt on the seat, gently pushed the handle, floated up from the chair, and began to slowly move towards the rest area of ​​the spacecraft.

There, she met another key character on the voyage, James.

The real identity of the other party is a senior military information intelligence officer responsible for electronic warfare technology and spy satellite monitoring. At this time, he was eating lunch in a small restaurant.

After seeing Jane, he asked:

"Want a piece of pizza? I just got it hot."

Jane shook her head and answered:

"No appetite. The situation is very serious, I really don't know how you can keep this mentality... Aren't you worried?"

Hearing her words, James shook his head and smiled, and replied:

"This is the training we must go through. For every intelligence officer, being able to face pressure with a stable mind is the most basic requirement. Are you worried? Of course, I am as worried as you are, but in addition to doing the current work, do we have any other options?"

"Our enemy clearly has the advantage this time, but we are not completely helpless... At least now, in this space, the confidentiality of our information is still guaranteed."

"I doubt that."

Jane pulled up a strap that was floating in the air and tied herself to the chair again.

"Yes, yes, it's normal to be suspicious. But listen to me, there's really no need to worry too much, from what we're getting now, everything is fine on the ground, isn't it?"

"Are you worried that after we return, the ugly country will cease to exist?"

"...It's not impossible."

Regarding Jane's pessimistic views, James laughed and said comfortably:

"Jane, you're just a technician. It's normal to feel nervous when you suddenly get involved in such a conflict. But, think about it, has our country ever faced fewer crises?"

"Even the most extreme situation, the kind that may destroy the entire country, we have dealt with it more than once, so it is really nothing compared to it."

"It's just an information leak... I can't reveal more details to you with your authority, but what I want to tell you is that we'll take care of it."

Hearing this, Jane's originally tense body finally relaxed.

Yes, the pressure on myself is so great that it almost ignores some objective facts - like the fact that my country is still the most powerful country on the planet.

After a moment's pause, she skipped the subject and asked instead:

"When will our actual orbit change operation start? I heard that this orbit change will be the largest orbit change since the Starlink system was connected to the grid. Under the current circumstances, it is difficult to complete. Is it big?"

James frowned slightly and pondered for a moment before answering:

"Of course there is still difficulty, but difficulty and benefits coexist."

"This time, we will try to occupy the most low-Earth orbit space as much as possible through large-scale orbit changes, forcing their Tiangong space station to deviate from the existing orbit, consuming the life of the space station, and blocking the attack angle of their space-based laser weapons."

"And, this derailment is actually a response to the intelligence leakage we are facing now - we are going to test the other party's intelligence penetration."

"If their control is limited to the ground, then the space we can operate is relatively large."

"do you understand?"

Jane nodded, indicating that she was clear.

As James said, this large-scale change of orbit was an offense, but it was also a test.

If everything goes according to plan, our side will be able to greatly weaken the opponent's dominance in space and officially exert the capabilities of the Starlink system.

At the same time, the space-based laser system that the other party has just established will also be significantly affected. The synchronously operating Starlink satellites will block the attack angle of the laser system, and use their own worthless body to block the laser path.

If laser weapons are to be used, they must at least burn through the satellite in front of them.

Moreover, even if the satellite can be burnt through, a large amount of metal solution suspended in space will continue to block the laser path, making the so-called space-based anti-missile system into a chicken rib.

It's a near-perfect strategy, the only problem is that the derailment has to go smoothly.

Thinking of this, she continued to ask:

"Can we trust Musk?"

James shook his head and replied:

"No. We have a purely cooperative relationship with him. If one day he finds that cooperation with us becomes unprofitable, he will naturally abandon us without hesitation."

"But at least, as of now, we are still friends with him."

"Of course, not after this time."

"Congress has made a decision that if this operation fails, we will not be provoking our adversaries for a long time to come. So, this is probably our last chance....Decision There can be no problem."

Jane nodded solemnly, then untied the restraint belt and flew towards the control room again.

......

Two hours later, the 10 Starlink satellites carried by Falcon 9 successfully connected to the network, the Starlink system was disconnected from the ground command system, and the command was completely handed over to the Dragon space shuttle.

Jane took a deep breath and began to input data that had already been calculated on the operation interface. One command was issued, and all the Starlink satellites involved began to perform orbit changes.

If someone observes from a higher perspective of space at this time, no matter what his position is, he will be shocked by this magnificent scene.

Hundreds of thousands of artificial satellites spewed white exhaust at the same time, their attitudes were constantly adjusted, their orbits were rising or falling, and they seemed to be rhythmic strokes on the blue background of the earth's oceans.

At this moment, Jane suddenly had a feeling:

His previous worries were completely superfluous, and his country was still invincible.

Even if you don't consider other aspects, just control these thousands of satellites, who can do it?

She skillfully kept inputting commands, one satellite after another was adjusted into the reserved orbit, the observation interface of the other side's space-based laser system was already obscured, and at the same time, the three fast maneuvering satellites had also approached the Tiangong space station. .

The difference in orbital altitude is two kilometers, which is almost a pass on a space scale.

And the other party's only option is to adjust the track.

Everything seems to be going well.

There was a smile on Jane's face, and she had almost foreseen the success of this operation.

However, just after she typed the last command, the situation suddenly changed.

Those Starlink satellites that had stabilized before suddenly restarted their engines!