Washington (AP) – As Russia holds Victory Day Parade This year, hackers supporting the Kremlin have hijacked orbital satellites that provide television services to Ukraine.
Ukrainian viewers saw footage of the parade shine from Moscow, instead of the usual programming. Waves of tanks, soldiers, weapons. This message is intended to intimidate the war of the 21st century, not just land, sea, and air; Cyberspace And the universe.
Disabling a satellite can be devastating without a single bullet, and can be done by targeting the satellite’s security software or destroying its ability to send or receive signals from Earth.
“We’re committed to protecting our supply chain,” said Tom Pace, CEO of Netrise, a cybersecurity company that focuses on supply chain protection.
“Think about GPS,” Pace said. Pace served in the Marines before tackling cyber issues at the Department of Energy. “Imagine the population loses it and the confusion it causes.”
Satellites are short-term challenges
Currently, over 12,000 operating satellites orbit the planet and play an important role not only in broadcast and communications, but also in navigation systems such as military operations, GPS, intelligence collection and economic supply chains. It is also key to early launch detection efforts that can warn you of approaching missiles.
It makes them a vital national security vulnerability, becoming a major target for those who undermine the enemy’s economy and military preparation, or it deals a psychological blow like the hackers that Russia made when hijacking TV signals to Ukraine.
Hackers usually look for the weakest link in software or hardware that supports satellites or controls communication with the Earth. Actual orbital devices can be safe, but can be easily exploited when running on outdated software.
As the Russian army Ukraine invasion In 2022, someone targeted Viasat, a US-based satellite company used by the Ukrainian government and the military. Hack, Kyiv He criticized Moscowusing malware to infect tens of thousands of modems and create a stop that will affect widespread European areas.
National security authorities say Russia is Nuclear-based weapon development It is designed to extract almost every satellite in low-Earth orbit at once. Weapons combine physical attacks that wavy outwards to destroy more satellites, while nuclear components are used to fry electronics.
US officials have declassified weapons information after R-Ohio Rep. Mike Turner issued a public warning about the technology. Turner asked the Department of Defense to provide a briefing classified as a lawmaker on weapons. Treaty banning weapons of mass destruction in space.
This photo, provided by the US Space Force, successfully landed on March 7, 2025 at Vandenburg Space Force Base, California, and landed, landed and landed on March 7, 2025.
Turner said such weapons cannot use low-earth orbits on satellites for a year. If it is used, its effect is devastating. It could make the United States and its allies vulnerable to economic upheavals and nuclear attacks.
Russia and China will also lose satellites, but they are thought to be undependent on the same type of satellite as the US
Turner compared Sputnik, a Russian satellite that began the space age in 1957, to weapons that were not yet ready for deployment.
“If this anti-satellite nuclear weapon is placed in space, it will be the end of the space age,” Turner said. “You should never be allowed to enter space. This is a Cuban missile crisis in space.”
Mining the moon
The precious minerals and other materials found on the moon and asteroids could lead to future conflicts as the country seeks to utilize new technologies and energy sources.
NASA administrator Sean Duffy announced this month plans to send small nuclear reactors on the moon, saying it was important for the US to do so before China or Russia.
“We’re racing to the moon, in the race to the moon,” Duffy said. “To have a base on the moon, you need some of the important places of energy and the moon. …We want to get there first and argue that for America.”
The moon is rich in material known as helium 3, and scientists believe it can be used for nuclear fusion to generate enormous amounts of energy. The technology is decades away, but according to London-based cybersecurity expert Joseph Luke, who works in the UK’s defense industry and is now director of risk insights for companies that document the future, moon controls between them can determine which countries are emerging as superpowers.
The end of the Cold War temporarily halted much investment in space, but competition could increase as the promise to mine the moon becomes a reality.
“This isn’t science fiction, it’s becoming a reality soon,” Luke said. “If you dominate the Earth’s energy needs, that’s game over.”
China and Russia have announced plans for a nuclear power plant on the lunar surface over the next few years, while the US plans missions to the moon and Mars. artificial intelligence It could accelerate competition, just like the energy demands that AI requires.
Messages left at the Russian Embassy in Washington were not returned.
China is opposed to the extraterrestrial arms race despite its steps into space, according to Liu Pengyu, a spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in Washington. He said it was the United States who were threatening to militarize the ultimate frontier.
“We continued to expand the military power of space, create a Space Military Alliance and turn space into a war zone,” Li said. “China is urging the United States to stop the spread of irresponsible rhetoric, stop the expansion of military accumulation in space, and make a good contribution to protecting lasting peace and security in space.”
What does the US do about security in space?
The nation is in a hurry to use its commercial outlook and create its own rockets and space programs that will not rely on foreign satellites. last week, The first Australian rocket crashed After a 14-second flight.
That’s what the US Space Force was like. Created in 2019 To protect America’s interests in space and to protect us satellites from enemy attacks.
Space services are much smaller than more established services like the Army, Navy and Air Force; It’s growingand the White House will soon announce the headquarters location. Colorado and Alabama are both candidates.
Operated by the US military Unmanned Space Shuttle It is used to carry out classified military missions and research. Kraft, known as the X-37B, recently returned to Earth over a year later in orbit.
SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with SXM-9 digital audio radio satellite payload will be lifted from Pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida on December 5, 2024 (AP Photo/John Laux, File)
Spatial forces are called key national security interests, known as access to space.
“Space is the realm of combat, and it is the Space Force’s job to fight and control the environment to achieve national security goals,” the statement said.
America’s domination in space has been barely doubtful for decades after the end of the Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet Union. But the new threats and competition posed by Russia and China indicate the need for a proactive response, US officials say.
The hope is that the US could take steps to ensure that Russia and China cannot gain the upper hand, and that the horrifying possibilities of space weapons will not be realized.
“We have to pay attention to these things, so we’ll make sure they don’t happen,” Turner said.
