Russia may use methods that threaten the operation of commercial satellites (including Elon Muskʼs “Starlink”), as evidenced by the recent case when a group of Russian military satellites monitored a Western satellite transmitting data to Ukraine.
This was stated by the commander of the German Space Forces Michael Traut, writes Reuters.
In May, Russia maneuvered four military satellites, known as “Kosmos-2610” to “Kosmos-2613”, near a commercial radar satellite, according to the US Space Force. Finnish company “ICEYE”, which provides data to the US and its allies, confirmed to Reuters that it was one of its satellites.
The commander of Germanyʼs space forces noted that the Russian spacecraft was chasing the “ICEYE” satellite, which provides reconnaissance imagery from the battlefield. According to him, Russia is demonstrating methods that could affect the lifespan of “Starlink” and the quality of service for all users, not just Ukraine.
He noted that satellites can be disrupted even without a direct attack.
Trout suggested that an open attack on a “Starlink” satellite would be a significant escalation of the war, but Moscow could employ “gray zone” tactics. He explained that a Russian satellite could approach “Starlink” satellites and force them to change their trajectory to avoid a collision. Such maneuvers use a lot of fuel and could shorten the satellites’ lifespan.
- In late May, it became known that Russia was testing its own “Starlink” analogue, the “Bureau 1440” project, and had launched the first satellites into orbit. According to Serhiy Beskrestnov, in order to use “Rassvet” for military purposes, the Russians would need to launch at least several hundred satellites.
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