Ukraine War Impact on Space

The Russian attack on Ukraine was preceded by loss of Internet connectivity in Ukraine, largely provided through Viasat’s KA-Sat satellite. According to Viasat this was due to a cyber-attack being investigated by the company. The disruption of connectivity continued after the attack. 

Space activities of Russia, the United States and Europe are closely integrated. Russia is a lead partner in the International Space Station and a significant provider of rocket engines and launch services. For example, OneWeb has several contracts for Soyuz launches to establish its satellites constellation. The next Galileo launch is also to use Soyuz rockets.

Sanctions imposed against Russia by the United States, European Union and others will have a wide-ranging impact on the space activities of Russia and others. For a more detailed analysis of the effect of deteriorating relations between Russia and other space-active countries see Eric Berger of ARS Technica, The Russian invasion of Ukraine will have myriad impacts on spaceflight.