Germany Warns Russia Tracks Military Satellites Amid €35B Space Investment

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius revealed that Russia is actively tracking two Intelsat satellites used by the German military, raising serious concerns about space security amid rising geopolitical tensions. He highlighted that Russia and China possess capabilities to disrupt satellite operations through jamming, blinding, manipulation, or kinetic attacks, noting that German military satellites have already been targeted by jamming. Pistorius announced a substantial €35 billion ($41 billion) investment over five years to enhance Germany's space capabilities, addressing Europe's lag behind global powers like the U.S., Russia, and China. He warned that 39 Russian and Chinese reconnaissance satellites currently orbit overhead, collecting real-time data, underscoring the heightened surveillance risks and prompting caution in communications. The Russian satellites, identified as Luch and Olymp types, maneuver in geostationary orbit to intercept and potentially disrupt German and NATO communication satellites, threatening command-and-control and allied interoperability. Germany is enhancing detection and deterrence capabilities using advanced radar and allied space situational awareness programs to counter these maneuvers in space, a domain increasingly seen as critical for national and allied security.