Ukraine takes the war to Russia’s space programme in tactical shift

Key Points:

• Russian Aerospace Forces chief Aleksandr Chayko narrowly survived a bomb blast at his birthday party in Moscow on August 1, which killed at least five people including his son-in-law; the Kremlin blamed Ukraine for the attack, though Kyiv has not commented.
• Chayko, appointed commander-in-chief of Russia’s Aerospace Forces in May, oversees military space operations, which have recently been targeted by Ukrainian drone and missile strikes on key Russian space communication centers and facilities.
• Ukrainian attacks have damaged critical infrastructure, including the Dubna space communications center near Moscow and the Progress Rocket and Space Centre in Samara, threatening Russia’s ability to manage satellites and produce Soyuz rockets.
• Ukraine has also targeted Russia’s Plesetsk military cosmodrome with drone swarms aimed at rockets on launchpads, attempting to disrupt military satellite launches, though no launch failures have been reported.
• Russia’s space program faces long-term challenges due to damaged infrastructure, disrupted supply chains from Ukraine, and international isolation following the 2022 invasion, though cooperation with NASA continues on the International Space Station and partnerships with China are being pursued.