By Cassell Bryan-Low and John Irish
PARIS, Oct 9 (Reuters) - The shadowing of a Western satellite supporting Ukraine by a cluster of Russian military satellites earlier this year demonstrates capabilities that could threaten commercial constellations such as Elon Musk's Starlink, Germany’s space commander told Reuters.
In May, Russia manoeuvred four military satellites, known as Cosmos 2610 through 2613, close to a commercial radar-imaging satellite, according to the US Space Force. Finland's ICEYE,
which supplies data to the US and its allies, confirmed to Reuters that it was one of their satellites.
Major General Michael Traut, head of German space command, described the Russian spacecraft as “chasing” the ICEYE satellite, which provides battlefield intelligence imagery.
"Russia is demonstrating ways, which, if employed directly towards a mega constellation like Starlink, could have an impact on their lifetime" and on the quality of service for all users, not just Ukraine, General Traut told Reuters. He said satellite capabilities could be disrupted even without a direct attack.
That “concerns me quite a lot,” he said.
His fears underscore Western militaries' growing reliance on commercial satellite networks, raising questions about who should protect them. Traut's comments also come as European officials accuse Russia of escalating sabotage efforts across the region aimed at undermining support for Ukraine, including recent drone and arson attacks and a plot to disable undersea cables.
Russia’s interference in Western space systems has significantly increased since its 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine, according to Western military officials. They say that includes ground-based jamming and on-orbit trailing aimed at gathering intelligence and testing the West's tolerance.
Russia’s defence ministry did not respond to Reuters' questions about its satellite activity. Moscow has repeatedly warned that commercial Western satellites helping Ukraine could become legitimate targets for retaliation. It has denied conducting sabotage operations in NATO countries.
SpaceX, which operates Starlink, didn’t respond to a comment request.
RUSSIAN 'GREY-ZONE' TACTICS
General Traut said an overt attack on a Starlink satellite would mark a major escalation but Moscow could employ "grey-zone" tactics. He outlined a hypothetical scenario in which a Russian satellite drifted into a Starlink orbital path before breaking apart, forcing satellites to make fuel-consuming avoidance manoeuvres that could shorten their operational lives.
Two other Western officials told Reuters the Russian activity raised concerns for Starlink, the world's largest satellite constellation.
Russia hasn’t disclosed the capabilities of the group of Cosmos satellites.
The move into "close proximity" with ICEYE may have been intended to conduct surveillance, prepare for future interference or signal capability, said Belinda Marchand, chief scientist at US space intelligence firm Slingshot Aerospace.
ICEYE Chief Executive Rafal Modrzewski told Reuters the company later moved its satellite, prompting further Russian manoeuvres. The episode showed how satellites can increasingly be manoeuvred close to one another "either to observe or potentially do harm," he said. The episode emphasizes the need to monitor activity in orbit, Modrzewski said, and raises about the need for protection.
As part of a major spending plan to bolster its own space capabilities, Germany is developing inspector satellites and considering orbital weapons that could disrupt hostile space activity without destroying the target, Traut said.
Germany's armed forces have also awarded ICEYE and a German company a contract to build dozens of satellites, particularly to support NATO's eastern flank.
(Cassell Bryan-Low and John Irish reporting in Paris; additional reporting by Sarah McFarlane in London; Editing by Joe Brock and Toby Chopra)
