Space for Ukraine: the Latest News about Satellite Data Technology During the War

Almost half of Ukrainians who consider themselves Orthodox Christians will celebrate Easter this Sunday. This day also marks two months since the invasion of Ukraine by Russian troops.

From day one we reported about the use of satellite data during the war and we will keep doing this, as the role of satellite data is only becoming bigger.

Satellite images continue to reveal possible war crimes

Last week, Ukrainian Television news service 1+1 TV (in Ukrainian Телевізійна служба новин телеканалу 1+1) shared a message from the Telegram channel of the Armed forces of Ukraine, revealing 800 new graves in the Kherson city cemetery.

This news is largely based on satellite images from Planet Lab taken between February 28 and April 15. The cemetery is located on the outskirts of the city, east of the airport. Currently, Kherson is under occupation by Russian invaders. These satellite images reveal the consequences of hostilities almost in real time.

Eyes on Ukraine: Satellite observations of the war in cities

Satellite images reveal the horrors of war

The war from space, but now also in space

The adviser to the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, Anton Gerashchenko, shared satellite images taken on April 20. Unfortunately the source of these images could not be identified independently. Mr. Gerashchenko reports that the images show hundreds of pieces of military equipment near the village of Soloti, in the Valuysky District, in the Belgorod Region in Russia.

Last week, a number of Ukrainian media shared a US Space Force message, saying that Russian troops were jamming the GPS satellite navigation signals, possibly with the aim to disable Ukrainian troops from using GPS navigation.

At the same time, Maxar Technologies announced its plan to increase the number of satellites in orbit, to increase capacity in response to higher demand for images of Ukraine.

The space industry of Ukraine, despite the war, continues its work, although facilities of some organisations cannot operate at full capacity. Other companies have switched to remote work.

Representatives of the Ukrainian space industry expressed their confidence that the country’s space industry will further strengthen ties with European partners after the war.

Support Ukraine’s Defence from Space

Starlink continues to support Ukraine

Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, Mykhailo Fedorov, said on his Telegram channel that Starlink is opening a representative office in Ukraine:

“Today, more than 10,000 stations help connect and support critical energy and telecommunications facilities, healthcare facilities and even the sowing campaign, as well as bring back deoccupied areas. Now Ukraine is almost impossible to imagine without modern Starlink technology. And this technology will become even more accessible to Ukrainians.”

He continues: “And today [April 19], we have good news: Starlink announced the opening of a representative office in Ukraine!

From my side, I instructed the relevant authorities to carry out the necessary procedures for certification, measurements and the provision of frequencies as soon as possible. I will inform you in detail about the progress of these works”.

The same day, the State Service for Special Communication and Information Protection of Ukraine reported that the government is working on the regulation of Starlink satellite terminal use by anyone interested. The mass use of satellite Internet access via Starlink is still limited, as it may affect the operation of some radio equipment used by the Ukrainian military.

Starlink is keeping Ukraine connected to the World

The Latest News about Starlink in Ukraine

Support Ukraine from Space

Last week,  the European Union Agency for the Space Programme EUSPA introduced its open #EUSpace4Ukraine platform. This platform aims to match innovators with NGOs and other humanitarian support providers, to create technological solutions for humanitarian support for the Ukrainian people. 

#EUSpace4Ukraine Initiative: Opportunities for Helpers and Innovators

At Groundstation.Space we keep informing you about the use of satellite data in the war. Please have a look at our dedicated page for Ukraine. Here you will find up-to-date news, analytics, as well as insightful articles.

Featured image credit: freepik