Russia space agency head says satellite hacking would justify war -report

A Soyuz-2.1b rocket booster with a Fregat upper stage and satellites of British firm OneWeb is lifted to a launchpad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan March 2, 2022. Roscosmos/Handout via REUTERS

Russia will treat any hacking of its satellites as a justification for war, the head of the country's space agency was quoted as saying in a news report on Wednesday.

Roscosmos head Dmitry Rogozin denied media reports that Russian satellite control centres have already been hacked amid Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, while warning against any attempts to do so, Interfax news agency reported.

"Offlining the satellites of any country is actually a casus belli, a cause for war," Interfax quoted him as saying.

FILE PHOTO: Director General of Roscosmos Dmitry Rogozin takes part in a report ceremony for the International Space Station (ISS) crew of Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin and space flight participant Japanese entrepreneur Yusaku Maezawa and his production assistant Yozo Hirano, at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, December 8, 2021. Kirill Kudryavtsev/Pool via REUTERS

Rogozin also said his agency wanted British-based tech firm OneWeb to provide guarantees that its satellites are not going to be used against Russia, Interfax added.

Without these, Rogozin said Russia will cancel the planned March 4 launch of 36 OneWeb satellites from the Baikonur cosmodrome, which Russia rents from Kazakhstan, without compensating OneWeb, the Russian news agency reported.

A Soyuz-2.1b rocket booster with a Fregat upper stage and satellites of British firm OneWeb is transported to a launchpad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan March 2, 2022. Roscosmos/Handout via REUTERS

(Reporting by Moscow bureau; Editing by Alexander Smith)

Security personnel walk in front of a Soyuz-2.1b rocket booster with a Fregat upper stage and satellites of British firm OneWeb is transported to a launchpad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan March 2, 2022. Roscosmos/Handout via REUTERS