The Threat from China and Russia's Space-Based SIGINT Satellites PDF
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Uploaded by OptimalCarolingianArt
Matthew Mowthorpe
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Summary
This document examines the space-based SIGINT capabilities of China and Russia, particularly their targeting and surveillance of naval assets. It details how these satellites, like the Liana and Pion systems, function and their potential impact on global security.
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**The threat from China and Russia's space-based SIGINT satellites** ### ***by Matthew Mowthorpe (from The Space Review online magazine)*** Сhina and Russia have extensive space-based SIGINT capabilities, which can geolocate transmissions from the radars of UK and NATO allies' navies. This trackin...
**The threat from China and Russia's space-based SIGINT satellites** ### ***by Matthew Mowthorpe (from The Space Review online magazine)*** Сhina and Russia have extensive space-based SIGINT capabilities, which can geolocate transmissions from the radars of UK and NATO allies' navies. This tracking information is then linked to land and naval-based missiles to ensure that they can target the UK and US Navy. Russia has been replacing its older series of SIGINT satellites. This includes Lotos-S series of SIGINT satellites, which is part of the ocean-surveillance satellite system known as Liana. This has been operational since 2014. Liana provides SIGINT for the Russian Navy. Also included in this naval role is Pion. It was launched in 2021 after long delays from 2014 and provides SIGINT-cued synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite capability for the Russian Navy. On June 25, 2021, Russia launched Pion. This is an ELINT and SAR imaging satellite likely capable of guiding Russian Navy missiles to their targets. It is part of the Liana system operated by the Russian military service ground and naval forces. The SAR capability is intended primarily for imaging naval assets. It acts in concert with ELINT sensors to locate and identify naval assets and uses SAR to image the identified asset. Pion will use its SIGINT capability to find a naval asset; once discovered, the SAR system will take an image. A SAR satellite alone would be incapable of discovering an asset. In 2014 Russia launched a new series of SIGINT satellites based in geostationary orbit which similar to China's Qianshao-1 series of satellites that provides long dwell times over a fixed point on Earth, and hemispherical coverage. The Russian Olymp-1 satellite has a 15-year lifetime design but has not changed position since the summer of 2022. This could indicate that it has little propellant left for maneuvers. Combined with the launch of Olymp-2 taking over Olymp-1's mission, it suggests Olymp-1 is non-operational. Olymp-2 launched on March 13, 2023, and is moving around the GEO belt in close proximity to communications satellites. Olymp collects communications in C- and Ku-band. The constellations of SIGINT satellites provide both Russia and China with a focused SIGINT detection capability. While this capability is not limited to naval applications, both Russia and China use these systems primarily for naval because ground assets can be better geolocated using other ground assets.
