De Faakto Intelligence Research Observatory
Attacking Military & Civilian Satellite Systems-An Open Source Intelligence Study
Methodology-OSINT research
Background & Analysis
Satellites are central to modern military and civilian infrastructure. Civilian satellites enable communications, finance, global positioning & weather monitoring. Military satellite capability provides battlefield superiority through, early missile warning, geolocation, and navigation, target identification, tracking adversaries, command-control, military intelligence, signals intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance. Modern militaries are dependent on space based satellite systems to fight war. By crippling a nation’s military satellite system; armed forces are unable to utilize war fighting technologies. China & Russia are looking to exploit the United States militaries heavy reliance on satellite systems which enable war fighting capability. In an assessment by Chinese analysts, space is used for up to 90% of the US military’s intelligence collection activities. North Korea & Iran have demonstrated counter space potential though ballistic missile technology. Counter satellite concepts include; denial & deception-when adversaries conceal activities on the ground, ground site attack-when ground stations linked to satellites are disrupted and nuclear detonation in space-when high altitude rockets equipped with nuclear weapons disable satellites with explosives. Anti-satellite weapons consist of directed energy weapons, jamming, electronic & cyber warfare and ground based anti-satellite ballistic missiles. Attack satellites based in orbit can jam radio-frequencies, emit high power microwaves, spray chemicals, shoot lasers or kinetically smash an adversary’s satellites. Nine countries currently possess the capability to independently launch space craft and therefore possess the expertise to develop and deploy anti-satellite technology. Russia, China, North Korea, Iran, India and the United States already have some form of anti-satellite capacity. Satellites are central to the modern battlefield, military GPS, communications, intelligence, guided missile systems & drone operations are not possible without satellites in orbit. Satellites are critical to national security and therefore militaries are investing significant resources in methods that can degrade and destroy an adversary’s satellite. With the inescapable, unlimited militarization of space on the horizon, it is probable that most space forces will develop and deploy anti-satellite capabilities.
Why Attack an Adversaries Satellite?
- Modern militaries are highly dependent on satellite technology. When satellite systems are disrupted militaries become less effective in the battle space. Attacking a nations satellites is an advanced capability which degrades a myriad of military function including; communications, command, control and intelligence. (Aljazeera, 2019)
- China & Russia are looking to exploit the United States heavy reliance on satellite systems which enables the battlefield technologies, in an assessment by Chinese analysts, space is used for up to 90% of the US military’s intelligence (Technology Review, 2019)
- North Korea & Iran have demonstrated counter space capability though ballistic missile technology, this poses a threat to modern militaries using military satellite technology (DIA, 2019)
Why Are Satellites Essential?
Satellites are central to modern military and civilian infrastructure
Civilian satellites enable,
- Communications
- Finance
- Global positioning
- Weather monitoring
Military satellite capability provides battlefield superiority via,
- Early missile warning
- Geolocation
- Navigation
- Target identification
- Tracking adversarial activities
- Military intelligence
- Signals intelligence
- Surveillance and reconnaissance (DIA, 2019)
Counter Satellite Concepts
- Denial and Deception-Adversaries use knowledge of when satellites pass overhead to camouflage and conceal their activities on the ground
- Ground Site Attack-Adversaries attack ground stations disrupting communications with satellites
- Nuclear Detonation in Space-Adversaries launch high altitude rockets equipped with nuclear weapons to disable satellites (DIA, 2019)
What Types of Anti-Satellite Weapons Are There?
- Jamming and cyberspace capabilities
- Directed energy weapons, on-orbit
- Ground-based anti-satellite missiles (Technology Review, 2019)
- Electronic warfare (EW) disrupting ground station communications with the space based satellite system
Orbiting Attack Satellite Armaments
- Kinetic kill vehicles
- Radio-frequency jammers
- Lasers
- Chemical sprayers
- High-power microwaves
- Robotic mechanisms-used for service & repair can be used for military applications to tamper and disable adversaries’ satellites (Defense One, 2019)
Kinetic Energy Threats
- Kinetic energy threats come from anti-satellite missiles originating from ground based systems or missiles launched from airplanes
- Anti-satellite missiles intercept and kill the satellite (DIA, 2019)
Directed Energy Threats
Temporarily or permanently damage, destroy, and disrupt an enemy’s satellite system
- Lasers
- High powered microwaves
- Other radio-frequency weapons (Futurism.com, 2019)
Cyberspace Threats
- Adversaries use cyber warfare to attack and degrade a satellite operator’s connection links, ground infrastructure & data distribution (Technology Review, 2019)
What Types of Satellites are in Geosynchronous Orbit?
Civilian & Commercial Satellite Applications
- Communications- voice communications, television broadcasts, broadband internet, mobile services, and data transfer services
- Navigation
- Financial transactions
- Weather monitoring
- Remote sensing data on the Earth’s land, sea, and atmosphere (DIA, 2019) (CNN, 2019)
Military Satellite Applications
- Missile warning- ballistic missile activity, space-based sensors usually provide the first
- indication of a launch
- Geolocation
- Navigation
- Target identification
- Tracking Adversarial activities
- Military intelligence
- Signals intelligence
- Surveillance and Reconnaissance
- Battle damage assessments
- Military force disposition (Defense One, 2019)
What Nations Operate Satellite Navigation Constellations?
Global Coverage Satellite Navigation Constellations are Operated by
- European Union
- Russia
- United States
- China
Regional Coverage Satellite Navigation Constellations are Operated by
- Japan
- India
- China (DIA, 2019) (CNN, 2019)
What Nations Currently Have Anti-Satellite Capability?
- Russia, China, North Korea, Iran, United States (NBC News, 2019)
What Nations Have the Capability to Independently Launch Space Craft?
- Nine countries and one international organization can independently launch spacecraft: China, India, Iran, Israel, Japan, Russia, North Korea, South Korea, the United States, and the European Space Agency (from French Guiana) (DIA, 2019)
Resources
Challenges to Security in Space-Defense Intelligence Agency (2019) https://media.defense.gov/2019/Feb/11/2002088710/-1/-1/1/SPACE-SECURITY-CHALLENGES.PDF
India’s Anti-Satellite Test Wasn’t Really About Satellites-Wired.com (2019) https://www.wired.com/story/india-anti-satellite-test-space-debris/
What are anti-satellite weapons? ALJAZEERA (2019) https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/03/anti-satellite-weapons-190327092138702.html
China, Russia Building Attack Satellites and Space Lasers: Pentagon Report-Defense One (2019) https://www.defenseone.com/technology/2019/02/china-russia-building-attack-satellites-and-space-lasers-pentagon-report/154819/
How to fight a war in space (and get away with it)-MIT Technology Review (2019) https://www.technologyreview.com/s/613749/satellite-space-wars/
Factbox: Anti-satellite weapons: rare, high-tech, and risky to test-Reuters (2019) https://www.reuters.com/article/us-india-satellite-tests-factbox/factbox-anti-satellite-weapons-rare-high-tech-and-risky-to-test-idUSKCN1R80UW
Report: Space will likely be a battlefield in any U.S. conflict with China, Russia-NBC News (2019) https://www.nbcnews.com/news/military/report-space-will-likely-be-battlefield-any-conflict-between-u-n970326
PENTAGON WARNS THAT ENEMIES COULD SHOOT US SATELLITES WITH LASERS-Futurism.com (2019) https://futurism.com/the-byte/laser-weapons-us-satellites
New Pentagon report warns of Russian and Chinese laser threats to US satellites-CNN (2019) https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/11/politics/pentagon-russia-china-laser-threat/index.html
