Striking satellite control centres: how Ukraine is weakening Russia's space programme
For decades, the Russian military has relied on an extensive network of ground-based space infrastructure to support global communications, reconnaissance and relatively accurate navigation. Positioned deep behind the front lines and protected by layered air defences, these strategic sites were long regarded as untouchable by Ukrainian weapons.
That has begun to change. Ukraine's defence forces are now seeking to inflict ever greater damage on Russia's space programme. Read this Ukrainska Pravda story to find out whether the effort could succeed.
How space communications centres work
A space communications centre (SCC) is a ground-based facility used to operate satellites and communicate with them. It collects telemetry, oversees spacecraft systems, sends manoeuvring commands, corrects orbital trajectories, adjusts satellite orientation and ensures solar panels remain aligned with the Sun. Nick Kovalski, founder of the space consultancy East Front Solutions, told Ukrainska Pravda that the centres also calibrate navigation satellites.
In addition to managing satellites, a centre receives, processes and transmits data. It handles military and government communications, intelligence data and missile warning information and also supports the operation of navigation systems such as GLONASS.
A centre consists of an antenna array and a computing centre. Its antenna dishes are mounted on rotating mechanisms that keep them aligned with satellites, and destroying these systems can render the facility inoperable. Even so, the office buildings are the primary targets, as they contain the control consoles, decoders and satellite modems.