German Space Command head Major General Michael Traut warned that Russian military satellites could threaten the Starlink network. The concern follows an incident in May where four Russian satellites maneuvered to follow a Finnish ICEYE spacecraft providing imagery to Ukraine.
Traut suggested that Russia might employ grey-zone tactics to disrupt operations without direct military conflict. A potential scenario involves a Russian satellite entering a Starlink orbital path and breaking apart, forcing the network to perform evasive maneuvers.
Frequent course corrections consume fuel, which could shorten the operational lifespan of Starlink satellites and degrade internet services for civilian users. While no such attack on Starlink has occurred, Western officials report increased Russian interference, including satellite shadowing and signal jamming.
In response to these risks, Germany is developing inspection satellites and evaluating orbital technologies capable of neutralizing hostile spacecraft. The German military has also commissioned dozens of new satellites to bolster support for NATO operations along its eastern flank.
