RUSSIAN SPYING ON A FRENCH SATELLITE

OR THE ISSUES OF SPATIAL STRATEGIC SECURITY

"Attempting to listen to your neighbors is not just unfriendly. It's called an act of espionage "

Has Russia tried to spy on a Franco-Italian military satellite ?

The minister of the Armies asserts it, since the Cnes.

Florence Parly in a speech on the space defense sector indicated that in 2017, "while Athena-Fidus continued its rotation quietly over the Earth, a satellite approached him, up close, a little too close . However, "this satellite with big ears is called Louch-Olymp, Russian satellite well known but a little ... indiscreet," she added.

Launched in 2014, Athena-Fidus provides high-speed satellite telecommunications services for the French and Italian military forces, as well as for civil security in the same two countries.

Satellite launched in February 2014, Athena-Fidus "consists of two payloads French and Italian," says CNES on its website. It weighs a little more than 3,000 kg and its charges "offer 23 Ka and EHF broadband transponders and 12 different covers: national metropolitan covers, mobile covers, [...] global coverage". It was "built for a lifetime of 15 years in geostationary orbit".

"So much so that we could have thought he was trying to capture our communications," she added. But "trying to listen to your neighbors is not just unfriendly. It's called an act of espionage.

France has fallen behind.

" This big-eared satellite is called Louch-Olymp, it's a well-known but somewhat indiscreet Russian satellite, " she continued. "We had seen it happen, and took the necessary measures. We watch him closely, and we have observed that he continues to actively maneuver the following months with other targets, but tomorrow, who says he will not come back to one of our satellites? She asked herself.

The United States has recently denounced "the very abnormal behavior" of a "space object" deployed by Russia in October 2017. The French Minister regretted for its part that France did not become aware of a militarization of space. " For some time now, as our neighbors have partly changed the nature of space, what have we done? Not much, she said. Not enough in any case. No, we are not protected against these threats. No, espionage and offensive acts, it does not happen only to others. Yes, we are in danger, our communications, our military maneuvers as our dailies are in danger if we do not react , " warned the French Minister of Armies. She also pointed out that " other very large space powers deploy intriguing objects into orbit, experiment with potentially offensive capabilities, conduct maneuvers that leave little doubt about their aggressive vocation".

Critical space defense issues.

It is important to know that space defense issues are becoming crucial. Indeed in the magazine Military Zone are raised the risks. "This is not the first time the risk of a cyberattack targeting satellites is mentioned.

In 2009, the "hacker" Adam Laurie demonstrated that it was possible to intercept a flow of information transmitted by satellite with a computer, a Dreambox type decoder and some software. " Says Pascal Lagneau.

"Then, five years later, a study by IOActive highlighted that the flows of telecommunications satellites could be hacked because of" multiple high-risk vulnerabilities "present in the software integrated into the satellite access terminals. He adds. For example, a group of Chinese hackers named "Thrip" is accused by the United States of spying on geospatial telecommunications and imaging companies and defense organizations in the United States and South Asia. -East. The cyber threat therefore also joins the threat to space activities.

"Space systems are likely to be attacked, like all other systems, and are protected. But, by nature, their protection, in orbit, is materially more difficult than that of other sovereign systems. We have observed specific cases of so-called 'foragers' and sovereign satellites. We have observed specific cases of satellites known as 'browsers', and it protects against possible misdeeds by conventional methods of coding and shielding against laser fire and electromagnetic charges , " explained Jean-Yves Le Gall, president of the National Center for Space Studies [CNES], during a parliamentary hearing.

These threats to the exo-atmospheric space were highlighted by the Strategic Review published in October 2017. "The progress of space rendezvous techniques, robotics and electric propulsion capabilities make it possible to repair, refuel and fuel or even de-orbiting spacecraft. Under the guise of civilian targets, states can therefore openly fund potentially anti-satellite technologies. These would allow the commissioning of tools whose actions would be much more difficult to detect, track, assign and counter than more conventional exo-atmospheric actions (missiles, lasers, jammers ...) " , can we read there.

The Law of Military Programming [LPM] 2019-25 that President Macron promulgated, takes into account this "arsenalisation" of space.

While in the United States, it is now a question of creating a "space force", President Emmanuel Macron has indeed announced his intention to define for France "a defense space strategy" . It makes space a national security issue. The space is "essential for our operations" and "by the incredible potentialities it offers but also by the conflictuality that it arouses" , it "is [...] a real stake of national security" , affirmed Mr. Macron .

A Ministry of the Armed Forces working group is expected to make proposals on the subject by November.