During Operation Roaring Lion, Israel damaged the Iranian Space Command's ability to maneuver satellites orbiting in space. The Israeli Air Force bombed the ground bases of Iran's space array. As a result, officials at the Military Intelligence Directorate's Space Center assess that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' Space Command suffered damage to its ability to control satellites, including maneuverable satellites.
Unit 9900 is responsible for collecting and processing visual-geographic intelligence gathered through various means, including satellites, drones and the Israeli Air Force's 100th Squadron. In the war against Iran, the Space Center and the satellites at its disposal were a central and decisive component in intelligence gathering because of the great distance from the target country, which limited the use of other collection methods.
To wage war over long distances, a military must rely on a range of space-based capabilities: intelligence, satellite communications, navigation and launch detection. In other words, even minor disruptions to satellite services can have far-reaching consequences.
In recent years, a small number of countries have developed capabilities to disable satellites. In some cases, those countries keep the extent of their progress in this field secret, and at times even launch satellites without public disclosure.
Iran, which in the past suffered failures in the space field, has managed over the past decade to narrow the gap. It launched satellites that entered orbit and, according to Tehran, produced significant results, including high-resolution imagery and the collection of electronic signals intelligence, or SIGINT. Iran has also claimed it succeeded in photographing US bases in Gulf states.
Another capability Iran has reported developing is satellite maneuvering in space, meaning the ability to bring one satellite close to another and even disrupt its operations. There are several methods for doing so, including deliberate close approach, electromagnetic interference and even physical impact.
Officials at the IDF Military Intelligence's Space Center were concerned that Iran could act in these ways against Israeli satellites. Accordingly, one of the central missions during the war was the ground-based defense of Israel's satellites, an effort carried out around the clock.
According to reports, Israel operates several military satellites from the Ofek series. Even damage to a single satellite could have significantly affected the management of the campaign against Iran.
In addition, there is overlap between the satellite industry and the ballistic missile industry, since the rockets used to launch satellites are similar to missiles in terms of technology and know-how.
For that reason, during the war the Israeli Air Force struck a number of installations, bases and laboratories linked to Iran's space sector. The assessment is that the strikes damaged Iran's ability to control maneuverable satellites.
The economic damage to Iran is estimated at billions of dollars, in part because of the high cost of developing and launching satellites, a process that takes years. The assessment is that it will take Iran years to restore the capabilities that were damaged.
At the same time, there was a shift in US policy regarding the publication of satellite images from the combat zone. The Pentagon required commercial companies to delay the release of images, and Planet Labs confirmed that it would refrain from publishing images from Iran and the conflict zone for an unlimited period in order to prevent their use by hostile actors.
According to the report, Iran is using its satellite program as a cover for nuclear weapons development. Photo: AFP
The restrictions began as early as March 9, shortly after the war began, but were made public only after the fact. According to assessments, cooperation between Israel and the US in the space field also contributed to those steps.
Lt. Col. Sh., commander of the Space Center in Unit 9900, said: "In this war, space was significant in ways not seen before. When the IDF operates over great distances, the importance of satellites rises dramatically. We are relying on years of investment that have placed Israel among the leading countries in this field."
He added that the field depends on high-quality personnel, including conscripts, career service members and civilians, and that about 60% of the workforce is made up of women. "This is a complex field that requires knowledge of physics, engineering, communications and information systems. We have young male and female soldiers who are managing to get more out of the tools at their disposal."
