Data downloaded from satellites in Svalbard is used to uncover Russian disruptions of GPS signals in the Ukraine war. This is despite the Svalbard Treaty having an absolute prohibition against using the archipelago for warfare.
HawkEye 360 satellites track all types of radio signals near the Earth. In this way, the satellites can identify sources of disruptions to GPS signals. Both the military and civilian sectors today are completely dependent on GPS signals.
The satellites download data in Svalbard before it is sent via fiber to the company’s headquarters in Virginia, USA. This is confirmed in an email from the company that owns the satellite station in Svalbard, KSAT, and on KSAT’s website by director Lorin Metzger:
– KSAT has been very important for our needs as the three dedicated antennas in Svalbard have been able to meet our download requirements.
In the USA, the data is analyzed using algorithms and artificial intelligence.
From November to February, the satellites detected continuous and increasingly powerful jamming of GPS signals from locations in the conflict zone in Ukraine using radio waves. This also applied to the security zone of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.
The satellite company believes that the jamming at Chernobyl clearly shows Russia’s coordination of electronic warfare with other forms of warfare. The company also conducted investigations that showed drones were being jammed.
The management of the satellite company HawkEye 360 is completely open about continuing to monitor the jamming with their satellites.
– We continue to collect such data and other data throughout Eastern Europe, says director John Serafini to SpaceNews.
The company has recently announced a contract with US intelligence for the delivery of such data.
Article nine of the Svalbard Treaty states in the Norwegian language version that the archipelago must never be used for warlike purposes, or for “warlike purposes,” in the English version.
There have been several rounds in the Storting regarding whether Norway complies with this obligation due to satellite operations.
Spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova has repeatedly criticized Norwegian Svalbard policy. Zakharova believes that Svalsat is part of a secret Norwegian military operation in Svalbard.
Before the Ukraine war, US intelligence contacted several commercial satellite companies to be better prepared for a large-scale war, including the American company Hawkeye 360.
Other private satellite companies included Planet, BlackSky, Capella, and Maxar. Maxar is known for its deliveries to the media during the war, but also for exclusive sales to Western countries and militaries of high-resolution images.
Maxar has six satellites authorized to download data in Svalbard, according to NKOM. The most advanced, Worldview Legion, takes pictures from space with a resolution of under 30 centimeters.
According to NKOM, the American company Capella also has permission to download data in Svalbard, which US intelligence would also use in Ukraine.
Capella has several contracts with various branches of the US military, including the US Air Force and the US Navy.
Capella has permissions to use Svalsat for six of its satellites, NKOM states.
US intelligence ensured that commercial satellite companies began delivering data from their satellites to Ukraine, US forces in Europe, and NATO, according to US intelligence.
The Biden administration asked the commercial companies to “quickly provide” images of what Russia was doing, but not just images.
Director David Gauthier of NGA, one of the US intelligence organizations, is clear that it was about providing tools for Ukrainian warfare.
– We spoke with companies like Hawkeye 360 and understood that there were products with added value that somehow needed to reach those conducting this fight, Gauthier tells BreakingDefense.com.
David Gauthier, NGA Director
Professor Geir Ulstein at the University of Oslo confirms that Article nine of the Svalbard Treaty means that it is prohibited to use Svalbard for warfare. This prohibition applies to all countries that have signed the agreement, including Norway.
He says that when the treaty was concluded in 1920, it was likely warfare in Svalbard that was in mind. However, he believes the question can be raised as to whether there is also a prohibition against using installations in Svalbard as part of warfare elsewhere.
– But I find it difficult to see that the use of Svalbard installations, which can be used for both civilian and military purposes, whether it is weather data, satellite images, or recording jamming of GPS signals, falls under the prohibition against warfare, says Geir Ulfstein.
Professor Arild Moe at the Fritjof Nansen Institute points out that the question of violations of the Svalbard Treaty due to the operations is sensitive for Norway.
Moe claims that the operations may be in violation of Norwegian regulations to avoid breaches of the Svalbard Treaty. The regulations state that it is prohibited to collect data specifically for military purposes.
– Whether it actually is in this specific case depends on a closer definition of military purposes, according to Moe.
– Under Norwegian public control
It is Kongsberg Satellite Services, KSAT, that owns and operates SvalSat. Communications manager at KSAT, Nina Soleng, confirms that HawkEye 360 uses Svalsat.
In an email, Nina Soleng writes that the operation in Svalbard is subject to control by Norwegian authorities, and that the company follows the directives it receives.
Nina Soleng
The supervisory authority for downloading satellite data in Svalbard is the National Communications Authority, NKOM. However, department director John-Eivind Velure at NKOM believes that questions regarding the Svalbard Treaty are outside NKOM’s jurisdiction.
NKOM refers to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been made aware of the main content of this case.
Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Mathias Rongved says SvalSat can only communicate with satellites for which permission has been granted by NKOM under the provisions of the land regulations. The provisions in the regulations are intended to safeguard Norway’s international legal obligations.
– It cannot be ruled out that data from satellites downloaded in Svalbard, which are commercially available, may also be used in military analyses and operations. If so, this would not be a breach of the Svalbard Treaty, says spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Mathias Rongved.
