Germany Detects an Increase in Russian Attempts to Intercept Signals From Satellites

Germany has recorded significantly more cases of military interference in outer space by Russia and China than previously known.

The Bundeswehr confirms an increase in the number of such actions, Tagesschau reports.

The military “cat-and-mouse game” looks like this: a Russian satellite suddenly changes its orbit and heads to a position from which it can get a better view, including of a Bundeswehr facility in Germany where Ukrainian military personnel are trained.

According to German experts, such incidents are no longer unusual for the German Space Situational Awareness Center after the start of Russian aggression against Ukraine.

The unit in Uedem promptly responds to threats: information about the risk is shared, and training for the Ukrainian military is temporarily moved indoors to protect it from space surveillance.

These incidents explain why Germany is to present its own space security strategy for the first time this week.

Defense Minister Boris Pistorius recently made a rare public comment on threats in space.

At the Space Congress of the Federation of German Industries, he stated that two satellites, also used by the Bundeswehr, are currently being chased by two Russian reconnaissance satellites. The Minister warned that Russia and China have “rapidly expanded” their capabilities to wage war in space.

Incidents

According to new reports, there have been many other incidents in space in recent months.

The French satellite monitoring company Aldoria reported that since April 2023, it has repeatedly recorded unusually close approaches to Bundeswehr satellites – up to 140 km.

According to experts, this is enough to intercept the satellite’s signals.

In addition, Russia reportedly attacked the Bundeswehr satellite from a ground station this summer.

Due to the signal jamming, communication with the German satellite was lost for several hours.

The Bundeswehr confirmed a general increase in attempts to interfere with both ground and orbital satellite infrastructure.

New data indicate that, in addition to Russia, China is also tracking German satellites. For example, at the end of July, a Chinese satellite approached one of the Bundeswehr’s satellites at a distance of up to 120 km.

The draft German space security strategy repeatedly mentions Russia and China as possible threats.

The previous government launched the first German space security strategy. After its early completion, the document was revised and finalized. By 2035, it is planned to invest EUR 35 billion in space projects.

There were also warnings at the international level: the head of the British Space Command said that Russia was trying to interfere with the UK’s military activities every week: “We see that our satellites are regularly interfered with by Russia.”

French President Emmanuel Macron recently emphasized that space has “become a battlefield.”

Recently, the German concern Rheinmetall and the satellite manufacturer ICEYE established a joint venture to produce satellites in Germany.