European officials believe Russian spy satellites have successfully "intercepted" - a delicate euphemism meaning "positioned themselves to eavesdrop on" - key European communications satellites, according to the Financial Times.
The targets include commercial and government satellites used for communications across Europe. Russian spacecraft have maneuvered into positions that allow them to monitor signals, map network architectures, and potentially jam transmissions during a crisis.
This isn't science fiction. It's orbital geometry and electronic intelligence gathering - and Europe is embarrassingly vulnerable to it.
The problem is structural. Europe never prioritized space defense because, well, America did it for us. The continent built world-class Earth observation satellites for agriculture and climate monitoring. It launched Galileo, a navigation system that works brilliantly. But when it comes to space domain awareness - knowing what's happening in orbit and having the ability to respond - Europe is a generation behind.
Enter IRIS² (Infrastructure for Resilience, Interconnectivity and Security by Satellite), the EU's €6 billion answer to this vulnerability. The constellation is designed to provide secure communications for European governments and militaries, with the first satellites beginning to come online this year.
But here's the brutal reality: IRIS² won't be fully operational until the late 2020s. Russian spy satellites are intercepting European communications right now. The vulnerability window will remain open for years.
A senior EU official, speaking on condition of anonymity, acknowledged the problem bluntly: "We are playing catch-up in space security, and catch-up takes time we may not have."
The interception capabilities aren't just about espionage. In a conflict scenario, Russia could use the intelligence gathered to prioritize jamming targets, disrupt command and control systems, or simply know which satellites to disable first.
China is watching this closely. Beijing has its own space surveillance network and has demonstrated anti-satellite capabilities. Europe's space vulnerability isn't just a Russian problem - it's a systemic weakness in an increasingly contested domain.
The good news, if there is any, is that European governments are finally treating space as a security domain rather than a science project. Defense ministries are demanding secure communications. Intelligence agencies are pushing for better space situational awareness. The money is starting to flow.
Brussels decides more than you think. But when it comes to space, Europe spent decades deciding to depend on others. Now it's learning what that dependence costs.
