European security services believe that the Russian spacecraft “Luch-1” and “Luch-2” could have conducted electronic reconnaissance and intercepted communications from several satellites serving Europe.
This is reported by the Financial Times, citing representatives of the armed forces.
For several years, military and civilian space agencies in the West have been monitoring the activities of “Luch-1” and “Luch-2”, two Russian objects that have repeatedly performed suspicious maneuvers in orbit.
Both spacecraft came dangerously close to some of Europeʼs most important geostationary satellites, which operate at high altitudes above Earth and serve Europe, including the UK, as well as large parts of Africa and the Middle East.
According to orbital data and ground-based telescopic observations, they have lingered near these satellites for weeks, especially over the past three years. Since its launch in 2023, “Luch-2” has approached 17 European satellites.
The head of the Bundeswehr Space Command, General Michael Traut told the Financial Times that both satellites are suspected of conducting electronic reconnaissance.
A senior European intelligence official said that the “Luch” satellites probably flew so close on purpose to get into the narrow stream of signals transmitted from Earth to the satellites.
He expressed concern that sensitive information, including the commands for controlling many European satellites, is not encrypted because they were launched long ago without modern onboard computers or encryption capabilities. This could make the satellites vulnerable to interference or even destruction if the data is intercepted.
The European satellites that “Luch-1” and “Luch-2” flew to are mostly used for civilian purposes, such as television. However, they also transmit government and, to some extent, military communications.
According to intelligence, these Russian satellites are unlikely to be able to jam or destroy others on their own. However, they could have gathered a lot of information about how to do this — from Earth or directly in orbit.
The military suggests that “Luch” could have intercepted satellite control channels — the communication with ground operators needed to change orbits. Experts say that with such data, Russia could send false commands and force satellites to change their movements. This could knock them out of position, throw them out of orbit, or even cause them to fall.
Additionally, tracking satellites helps to find out who is using them and where the ground stations are located. This information can be used to jam signals or carry out hacking attacks.
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