Germany and the United Kingdom have said their satellites are being stalked, jammed, and interfered with, posing new risks to military communication and navigation systems critical for defence and civil use.
The countries sounded a fresh alarm over space security, warning that Russian and Chinese satellites are increasingly targeting Western assets in orbit.
German defence minister Boris Pistorius told space industry leaders in Berlin in September that Moscow’s actions “pose a fundamental threat to us all.” The UK’s space command also said its satellites are being jammed and tracked “on a weekly basis.”
Both countries raised concerns after identifying Russian satellites moving unusually close to two Intelsat spacecraft, which provide services to German and allied defence systems.
Space warfare
Officials in Europe and the US have long accused Russia and China of expanding their “space warfare” capabilities from jamming and blinding satellites to testing technologies that could destroy them.
Nato has warned that Moscow may be working on nuclear-based space weapons that could disable satellites, though Russia denies these claims.
Moscow also recently vetoed a UN resolution that aimed to ban nuclear arms in space, while China abstained from voting.
Analysts also say Beijing has been conducting satellite reconnaissance over Ukraine and testing new technologies, such as robotic arms capable of moving other satellites out of orbit, reported CNN. Western experts believe China’s growing budget and rapid advances make it a more sophisticated long-term threat.
How satellites spy
Detecting satellites in space is easy; understanding what they’re doing is not. Experts say security agencies track the position and movement of foreign satellites to infer intent. If a Russian satellite lingers close to a Western communication satellite for long periods, it’s often read as an attempt to eavesdrop or jam signals.
In lower orbits, Russia has reportedly tested satellites that can fire projectiles or mimic weapons, blurring the line between surveillance and attack. These activities make it hard for governments to distinguish between intelligence gathering and direct military threats.
What comes next
To counter these risks, Germany has announced a €35 billion investment in space security over the next five years. The UK is testing sensors to detect laser threats and increasing defence spending on space and cyber technologies.
Nato, which declared space an “operational domain” in 2019, has reaffirmed that any attack on a member’s satellite could trigger its collective defence clause, Article 5.
The broader challenge, analysts say, lies in avoiding an uncontrolled space arms race, one where espionage and deterrence blur, and the next battlefield may not be on Earth, but far above it.
The countries sounded a fresh alarm over space security, warning that Russian and Chinese satellites are increasingly targeting Western assets in orbit.
German defence minister Boris Pistorius told space industry leaders in Berlin in September that Moscow’s actions “pose a fundamental threat to us all.” The UK’s space command also said its satellites are being jammed and tracked “on a weekly basis.”
Both countries raised concerns after identifying Russian satellites moving unusually close to two Intelsat spacecraft, which provide services to German and allied defence systems.
Space warfare
Officials in Europe and the US have long accused Russia and China of expanding their “space warfare” capabilities from jamming and blinding satellites to testing technologies that could destroy them.
Nato has warned that Moscow may be working on nuclear-based space weapons that could disable satellites, though Russia denies these claims.
Moscow also recently vetoed a UN resolution that aimed to ban nuclear arms in space, while China abstained from voting.
Analysts also say Beijing has been conducting satellite reconnaissance over Ukraine and testing new technologies, such as robotic arms capable of moving other satellites out of orbit, reported CNN. Western experts believe China’s growing budget and rapid advances make it a more sophisticated long-term threat.
How satellites spy
Detecting satellites in space is easy; understanding what they’re doing is not. Experts say security agencies track the position and movement of foreign satellites to infer intent. If a Russian satellite lingers close to a Western communication satellite for long periods, it’s often read as an attempt to eavesdrop or jam signals.
In lower orbits, Russia has reportedly tested satellites that can fire projectiles or mimic weapons, blurring the line between surveillance and attack. These activities make it hard for governments to distinguish between intelligence gathering and direct military threats.
What comes next
To counter these risks, Germany has announced a €35 billion investment in space security over the next five years. The UK is testing sensors to detect laser threats and increasing defence spending on space and cyber technologies.
Nato, which declared space an “operational domain” in 2019, has reaffirmed that any attack on a member’s satellite could trigger its collective defence clause, Article 5.
The broader challenge, analysts say, lies in avoiding an uncontrolled space arms race, one where espionage and deterrence blur, and the next battlefield may not be on Earth, but far above it.
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