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What’s new: A good overview of some ways space is no longer a safe place to put things upon which we really depend.
Why it’s important: The United States is more reliant on space-based capabilities, in PNT and other areas, than any other nation. Certainly more than our primary adversaries, Russia and China.
What else to know:
We really like these two quotes in the article from Rep Mike Turner (R-OH) about the nuclear weapon the Russians are preparing to launch:
- “If this anti-satellite nuclear weapon would be put in space, it would be the end of the space age... This is the Cuban Missile Crisis in space” (Blog editor’s note – Do we ALWAYS have to wait for a crisis to do something?)
- “You have to pay attention to these things so they don’t happen,” (Blog editor’s note – And we have to pay attention to national PNT resilience so it DOES happen.)
IOHO – Direct / kinetic attacks on satellites are less likely than attacks on signals/receivers – things like jamming, spoofing, meaconing, and other cyber. A direct attack would likely start a shooting war right away that hardly anyone wants or could really win. An attack on signals and receivers could be easily reversed when the attacker got what they wanted and would be less likely to immediately move to conventional or nuclear warfare.
Hijacked satellites and orbiting space weapons: In the 21st century, space is the new battlefield
WASHINGTON (AP) — As Russia held its Victory Day parade this year, hackers backing the Kremlin hijacked an orbiting satellite that provides television service to Ukraine.
Instead of normal programing, Ukrainian viewers saw parade footage beamed in from Moscow: waves of tanks, soldiers and weaponry. The message was meant to intimidate and was an illustration that 21st-century war is waged not just on land, sea and air but also in cyberspace and the reaches of outer space.
Disabling a satellite could deal a devastating blow without one bullet, and it can be done by targeting the satellite’s security software or disrupting its ability to send or receive signals from Earth.
“If you can impede a satellite’s ability to communicate, you can cause a significant disruption,” said Tom Pace, CEO of NetRise, a cybersecurity firm focused on protecting supply chains.
“Think about GPS,” said Pace, who served in the Marines before working on cyber issues at the Department of Energy. “Imagine if a population lost that and the confusion it would cause.”
https://apnews.com/article/space-weapons-trump-satellites-russia-0fdd31a1e3d350a54823e8a3d228fc17
