One aspect that media outlets have so far focused on is its capability for low-orbit interference. With recent news that Starlink satellites are set to orbit closer to the Earth to avoid collisions with space debris, this HPM device could theoretically target Elon Musk's space communications network.

The weapon, engineered by a team led by Wang Gang at the High-Power Microwave Science and Technology Key Laboratory of the Northwest Institute of Nuclear Technology (NINT) in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, is said to be compact – about the size of a small truck – and represents a huge leap forward in directed-energy weaponry that could disrupt or destroy satellites and other electronics in low Earth orbit.