--- title: "Chinese Researcher Says New Space Laser Is Definitely Not a Weapon" description: "China has developed a laser that could be mounted on a satellite to enable high-speed communication, tracking, and identifying targets, South China Morning Post reports." date: "2022-01-08" modified: "2022-01-08" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/chinese-space-laser-not-weapon" categories: - "Off-World" - "Space" tags: - "china" - "lasers" - "pulse laser" - "the digest" --- # Chinese Researcher Says New Space Laser Is Definitely Not a Weapon ![China has developed a laser that could be mounted on a satellite to enable high-speed communication, tracking, and identifying targets, South China Morning Post reports.]() *\Image: Getty Images/Futurism\* ## Space Laser China has developed a laser that could be mounted on a satellite to enable high-speed communications, as well as the tracking and identifying of targets, the [*South China Morning Post* reports](). While experts believe this particular device isn't a weapon — it weighs less than 3.3 pounds, including its power source — experts believe a "bigger version can be," as an unnamed laser scientist with the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing told the newspaper, ominously. Such a laser could tear apart distant targets by generating shock waves, the *SCMP* reports. Charged particles could also be used to damage sensors of adversaries' missile guiding systems — a very real threat to the space-based assets of China's adversaries, if ever realized. ## Zapping Satellites While the US has recently [imposed sanctions]() on China's laser-developing efforts, it's simultaneously working on its own laser-based one megawatt weapon system destined for orbit, according to *SCMP*. The weapon is designed to be able to shoot down hypersonic weapons before they strike their targets. Meanwhile, according to the paper, China is readying its new laser for its first test mission in space after several ground trials. The country is also making great strides in developing lasers that allow satellites to take highly detailed images and transfer data back to the ground at extremely high speeds. The use of lasers on the battlefield is drawing closer every year. Just last month, the US [successfully neutralized a floating target]() from a moving Navy vessel. But when weaponized energy tech will make its debut in space remains to be seen. **READ MORE:** [’The powerful Chinese megawatt laser ‘small enough for a satellite’]() \[*SCMP*\] ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()