Over the span of the last nine months, Russian army members have committed more than 250,000 cyber attacks against Ukraine, as well as an estimated 65,000 attacks on the country’s optical fibre cables. This goes to show that the war is not only about manpower, but also about communication and critical infrastructure.
Luxembourg’s SES is now bound to take on a new and pertinent role in this conflict. A constellation of eleven so-called medium orbit satellites will be added to their current fleet, SES CEO Steve Collar explained at a recent press briefing.
“In a world of international tensions, such as the ones caused by the war in Ukraine, it is of upmost importance to be resilient and have access to different systems. This can be ensured by having ground stations with the ability to switch between different systems, which further guarantees that communication can be upheld, regardless of what happens.”
Luxembourg’s Defence will purchase capacities worth €195 million from SES over the course of the next ten years, which can be used for tactical and military purposes. The US Department of Defence will join the project as a strategic partner and the door is also open to other NATO members.
The NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA), which is headquartered in Capellen, will act as intermediary and manage the satellite capacities.
It should be noted that the eleven satellites, which will cover the entire globe, will not exclusively be used for military purposes. They can also be employed in case of natural disasters, such as the series of earthquakes that recently hit Turkey and Syria, or in civil communication.
