Satellite images show damage at a space center supporting Russia's Starlink rival after a Ukrainian missile strike
New satellite images show damage at a Russian space center after a Ukrainian missile attack.The space center produces rockets that launch satellites for Russia's alternative to Starlink.Russia was cut off from using Starlink earlier this year, so it is pushing to field its own version.New satellite imagery shows damage at a Russian space center linked to Moscow's version of SpaceX's Starlink following a Ukrainian attack over the weekend.The imagery, captured on Tuesday by US spatial intelligence firm Vantor and obtained by Business Insider, shows a hole in the roof of a building at the Progress Rocket Space Center in Samara, a city in western Russia, as well as damage to the exterior.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Saturday that the military struck the facility, located more than 550 miles across the border, with FP-5 Flamingo cruise missiles, calling the attack "a good achievement."Video footage shared on social media showed a massive fire at the facility, later followed by a large plume of black smoke. The extent of the damage inside the building is unclear.The Progress Rocket Space Center is a joint-stock company under the Russian state corporation Roscosmos, which is responsible for space-related activity, research, and development.The facility is a key part of Russia's space industry, as it produces the "Soyuz" family of rockets that are used to launch spacecraft.Ukraine's military said the "Soyuz-2.1b," a three-stage rocket, is used to deploy Rassvet, a satellite internet constellation in low Earth orbit (several hundred miles high) developed by the Russian aerospace company Bureau 1440.Rassvet is a broadband communication system considered to be Moscow's alternative to SpaceX's Starlink service, which is crucial on the battlefield for enabling drone operations.Russian soldiers were using Starlink in Ukraine until earlier this year, when Kyiv pressed SpaceX to disable their terminals.
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New satellite images show damage at a Russian space center after a Ukrainian missile attack.The space center produces rockets that launch satellites for Russia's alternative to Starlink.Russia was cut off from using Starlink earlier this year, so it is pushing to field its own version.New satellite imagery shows damage at a Russian space center linked to Moscow's version of SpaceX's Starlink following a Ukrainian attack over the weekend.The imagery, captured on Tuesday by US spatial intelligence firm Vantor and obtained by Business Insider, shows a hole in the roof of a building at the Progress Rocket Space Center in Samara, a city in western Russia, as well as damage to the exterior.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Saturday that the military struck the facility, located more than 550 miles across the border, with FP-5 Flamingo cruise missiles, calling the attack "a good achievement."Video footage shared on social media showed a massive fire at the facility, later followed by a large plume of black smoke. The extent of the damage inside the building is unclear.The Progress Rocket Space Center is a joint-stock company under the Russian state corporation Roscosmos, which is responsible for space-related activity, research, and development.The facility is a key part of Russia's space industry, as it produces the "Soyuz" family of rockets that are used to launch spacecraft.Ukraine's military said the "Soyuz-2.1b," a three-stage rocket, is used to deploy Rassvet, a satellite internet constellation in low Earth orbit (several hundred miles high) developed by the Russian aerospace company Bureau 1440.Rassvet is a broadband communication system considered to be Moscow's alternative to SpaceX's Starlink service, which is crucial on the battlefield for enabling drone operations.Russian soldiers were using Starlink in Ukraine until earlier this year, when Kyiv pressed SpaceX to disable their terminals. Moscow has sought to replicate the service's effects; it reportedly has more than a dozen Rassvet satellites so far and aims to build a constellation of hundreds in the coming years.Starlink has been a significant asset for Ukraine, particularly in the several months since Russia was cut off from using the American service. Ukrainian commanders have described Starlink as a crucial element supporting battlefield operations, particularly for communication with drones and ground robots amid heavy electronic warfare conditions.Starlink works in both Ukraine and in occupied Russian territory, but not in Russia.
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- What's the story?
- New satellite images show damage at a Russian space center after a Ukrainian missile attack.The space center produces rockets that launch satellites for Russia's alternative to Starlink.Russia was cut off from using Starlink earlier this year, so it is pushing to field its own version.New satellite imagery shows damage at a Russian space center linked to Moscow's version of SpaceX's Starlink following a Ukrainian attack over the weekend.The imagery, captured on Tuesday by US spatial intelligence firm Vantor and obtained by Business Insider, shows a hole in the roof of a building at the Progress Rocket Space Center in Samara, a city in western Russia, as well as damage to the exterior.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Saturday that the military struck the facility, located more than 550 miles across the border, with FP-5 Flamingo cruise missiles, calling the attack "a good achievement."Video footage shared on social media showed a massive fire at the facility, later followed by a large plume of black smoke. The extent of the damage inside the building is unclear.The Progress Rocket Space Center is a joint-stock company under the Russian state corporation Roscosmos, which is responsible for space-related activity, research, and development.The facility is a key part of Russia's space industry, as it produces the "Soyuz" family of rockets that are used to launch spacecraft.Ukraine's military said the "Soyuz-2.1b," a three-stage rocket, is used to deploy Rassvet, a satellite internet constellation in low Earth orbit (several hundred miles high) developed by the Russian aerospace company Bureau 1440.Rassvet is a broadband communication system considered to be Moscow's alternative to SpaceX's Starlink service, which is crucial on the battlefield for enabling drone operations.Russian soldiers were using Starlink in Ukraine until earlier this year, when Kyiv pressed SpaceX to disable their terminals.
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Satellite images show damage at a space center supporting Russia's Starlink rival after a Ukrainian missile strike
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