Satellite Reveals GPS Jamming Far Worse Than Expected Near Russia
The scale of interference, visible from space, confirms that GPS jamming and spoofing have become a routine tool in regional conflicts, with consequences for aviation, maritime navigation, and satellite operations.
Reporting from 1 sources: GIGAZINE.
Data from the low Earth orbit satellite Pulsar-0 shows GPS signal degradation far exceeding expectations, particularly near Russia's western border and in Middle Eastern conflict zones. The California startup Xona Space Systems built the satellite to test technology for a stronger positioning network.
The experimental satellite Pulsar-0, built by California startup Xona Space Systems, detected GPS signal degradation far worse than its team anticipated. Flying at roughly 500 km altitude, the satellite found normal signal strength around 40 dB dropped to about 10 dB in the most heavily jammed areas. The worst interference appeared from Northern Europe through Russia, Ukraine, Turkey, Iran, and Pakistan. Xona co-founder Kaz Gunning said the team expected interference but it was much larger than expected.
Near Russia's western border, jamming is reportedly used as a countermeasure against Ukrainian drone attacks, affecting tens of thousands of aircraft each month. In the Middle East, jamming and spoofing are used to deflect drone attacks or hide illegal vessels at sea. The interference also threatens satellite operations: low Earth orbit satellites that lose GPS struggle to determine their position for imaging, track their own location, and orient toward ground antennas. Starlink and similar constellations rely on GPS for collision avoidance.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.