According to the Financial Times, the Russian satellites Luch-1 and Luch-2 could have participated in intercepting signals from European satellites directly in space, by specifically approaching their trajectory.
According to the Financial Times, the Russian satellites Luch-1 and Luch-2 could have participated in intercepting signals from European satellites directly in space, by specifically approaching their trajectory.
Officials in Europe, who spoke to the publication on condition of anonymity, admit that these Russian spacecraft intercepted messages from at least ten key satellites over Europe.
According to the Financial Times, such interceptions not only jeopardize the confidentiality of information, but could also potentially allow Russia to influence the trajectory and operation of the satellites themselves.
The publication, in particular, recalls that over the past few years, Western military and civilian space agencies have been monitoring the activities of the Luch-1 and Luch-2 satellites and can claim that they have repeatedly performed suspicious maneuvers in orbit.
It is also reported that Russian spacecraft have come dangerously close to key European satellites. Since its launch in 2023, Luch-2 has come close to 17 European satellites.
«Both satellites are suspected of conducting electronic reconnaissance,» Major General Michael Traut, head of the German Armed Forces Space Command, told the publication.
Another senior European intelligence official said that sensitive information, including specific commands for European satellites, was not encrypted because many of the satellites were launched years ago and do not have modern onboard computers or encryption capabilities.
«Satellite networks are the Achilles' heel of modern societies. Anyone who attacks them can paralyze entire nations. Russia’s activities are a fundamental threat to all of us, especially in space. A threat that we can no longer ignore,» German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said at the time.
It is noted that the European satellites that the Luch-1 and Luch-2 spacecraft approached are used primarily for civilian purposes, such as satellite television, but also transmit confidential government and some military messages.
According to a European intelligence representative, Luch-1 and Luch-2 are unlikely to be capable of harming European satellites themselves, but «they have likely provided Russia with large amounts of data on how such systems can be disrupted — both from the ground and in orbit.»
As dev.ua reported, Russia postponed the first launch of a new rocket as part of a program that is positioned as a competitor to Elon Musk’s SpaceX.
Instead, SpaceX has developed a new «space awareness» system that it is willing to share with other operators for free. We wrote about how this will affect the overall safety of satellites in space.
