A recent reportpublished by the Financial Times has highlighted a growing and concerning trend in the space domain: the activity of Russian satellites operating in close proximity to European infrastructure.
According to cited sources, platforms such as Luch-1 and Luch-2 have conducted proximity manoeuvres near European geostationary satellites, potentially aiming to intercept communications and analyse their technical characteristics. Such actions could compromise sensitive data and expose vulnerabilities that may enable interference or operational disruption.
These incidents are not new. Over the past three years, Russian platforms have intensified monitoring activities amid heightened geopolitical tensions following the invasion of Ukraine. Several manoeuvres have been observed near key European satellites serving Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.
Space is increasingly a domain of strategic competition—often invisible. The European Union has warned of rising “non-cooperative and potentially dangerous behaviours in Space,” while the French Space Command has described orbital activity as increasingly “hostile or unfriendly,” particularly from Russia.
In this context, Space dominance is no longer limited to launching satellites—it now includes protecting them from sophisticated threats.
Satellite communications have become a critical component of modern military operations.
Europe is responding by strengthening the security of its Space infrastructure through the development of sovereign capabilities, ensuring control over critical communications and reducing external dependencies.
Key initiatives include GOVSATCOM, already operational, and the future IRIS² constellation, designed as a secure and resilient communications infrastructure.
Industry is also playing a central role, deploying solutions ranging from quantum-secure communications to satellites with advanced anti-interference capabilities.
Additionally, low Earth orbit constellations are being developed to distribute risk across multiple platforms, alongside systems capable of detecting and locating interference in real time.
For the European Commission and ESA, the message is clear: ensuring Space security requires mobilising the entire industrial ecosystem toward more resilient and sovereign technologies.
In an increasingly contested environment, Space security is no longer optional—it is structural.
