It is absolutely fair to ask yourself if this crash could be the result of enemy action. There is no evidence of that yet, but it is something that must be investigated.
Here is what is known:
Earlier this week, a UAE-funded mission failed to launch a new satellite intended for military and civilian reconnaissance into orbit. The Falcon Eye satellite was to be launched by a European Vega rocket, but the mission failed two minutes after take-off, causing the satellite to plunge into the Atlantic.
Abu Dhabi’s Space Reconnaissance Centre (SRC) said the satellite had been “expected to add enormous potential once in orbit at an altitude of 611km to provide the center with hundreds of high-resolution images on a daily basis.” The UAE is a key ally of the US in the region and a major adversary of Iran. The satellite would have been used in part to monitor Iranian activity in the Gulf.
Read more: Military Spy Satellite Targeting Iran Crashes To Earth After Catastrophic Failure
We have been reporting on threats from space and what companies should be doing about them, and also providing focused, business-centered reporting on threat actors capable of attacking space systems. For more, OODA Members should see:
- Iran Threat Brief: Our continuously updated insights into this strategic threat actor
- The Executive’s Guide To Commercial Use of Space: An overview of key areas of innovation in space
- The Cyber Threat To NASA Artemis Program: An assessment of cyber threats to this exciting mission, including things that need to be done.
- What Business Needs To Know About Security In Space: The “so-what” about cyber threats.
