China’s hypersonic weapons can be guided by the stars if GPS fails: report

China's hypersonic weapons can use star-based navigation when GPS or BeiDou systems are jammed or fail, according to a Guangdong Aerospace Research Academy project. The academy published a report on August 10 detailing their efforts to develop a star-based navigation system for hypersonic speeds (Mach 5 and above). Hypersonic weapons are hard to intercept, making them a strategic asset, but require highly autonomous and precise navigation systems.

Celestial navigation, which observes the sky for navigation, can help with this. Unlike systems that rely on external signals, celestial navigation is self-contained and immune to interference. The intense heat and plasma sheath created by hypersonic flight can interfere with starlight, making it hard to detect stars. To overcome this, the academy created databases on thermal-chemical radiation and thermally induced radiation interference.

They developed simulation software to predict how starlight would bend and designed a star sensor that can resist radiation interference. The star-pattern recognition rate exceeded 99% in interference-free conditions and remained above 80% even under strong interference, with attitude measurement accuracy better than 5 arcseconds.

This technology has commercial potential, generating nearly 10 million yuan (US$1.5 million) in sales revenue for aerospace institutes and being adapted for civilian uses like engine test stands and industrial boiler diagnostics.