5 ms·

US satellite company Maxar reportedly cuts off Ukraine's access to imagery

64 points by dralley 2y ago

Aeolun 2y ago
Is there any legal reason why they should comply with such a request?
- ty6853 2y ago
  My only guess is satellites and their data export might be covered by ITAR when used as military tactical tools for foreign militaries? Can anyone chime in on whether these satellites are limited by ITAR or something similar?
- cozzyd 2y ago
  Perhaps their large government contract is on the line?
- painted-now 2y ago
  On Twitter, Maxar made a post stating that this is about data shared through the Global Enhanced GEOINT Delivery program (GEGD).
2Gkashmiri 2y ago
And thats why kids India set their own satellite navigation because USA cannot be trusted. navic. And isro made satellite imagery
- zinekeller 2y ago
  Well, basically every nation with large enough budget has one set up (US, Russia, EU, China, Japan, and India has them). More directly to the point, I won't be shocked if Airbus (which also operates satellite imagery services) steps up, although that would open a very big hole since, uhm, Airbus makes civilian planes too. (Something to think: European governments have large stakes in Airbus, plus Airbus' history as an intergovernmental consortium might factor in favor here.)
  - mopsi 2y ago
    What do you mean by a very big hole? That it would damage the brand and its civilian sales? Airbus is known for civilian airliners, but it has been a major stakeholder in many military projects for decades. Airbus has a 46% (largest) stake in Eurofighter Typoon, 37.5% in MBDA that builds all kinds of missiles, etc: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airbus_Defence_and_Space https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airbus_Defence_and_Space https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MBDA https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MBDA
    - zinekeller 2y ago
      C'mon, US could sanction Airbus as a whole if Trump (or whoever actually manages these things) decides to. This was inconceivable back then, but everything is off the tables now.
- deleted 2y ago
  [deleted]
- toomuchtodo 2y ago
  France literally just yesterday successfully launched their spy satellite, which seems to be fortunate timing to get away from the US. https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/europes-ariane-6-stages-first-commercial-launch-2025-03-06/ https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/europes-a...
  - mapt 2y ago
    You don't need one. You need hundreds.
    - toomuchtodo 2y ago
      It is progress, not success.
      - red-iron-pine 2y ago
        but ukraine needs successes -- today
        toomuchtodo 2y ago
        Then the EU needs to refocus from assisting defending on the front line and switch to sabotaging Russia's critical petroleum infra, refineries, pipelines, storage facilities. Success won't be had until they are kneecapped economically (and time is paramount, as you mention). It is known where these facilities are, no spy satellites are needed. https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2025/02/12/ukraine-can-improve-its-campaign-against-russias-infrastructure-heres-how-a87966 https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2025/02/12/ukraine-can-improv... https://san.com/cc/ukraine-strikes-at-russias-economic-heart-oil-refineries-in-flames/ https://san.com/cc/ukraine-strikes-at-russias-economic-heart...
Havoc 2y ago
US is becoming utterly unreliable & it’s going to turn into a problem on the cloud side. All the EU clouds are ahem modest
ukoki 2y ago
More acts of surrender here: http://hotdogeatingsurrendermonkeys.com/ http://hotdogeatingsurrendermonkeys.com/
deleted 2y ago
[deleted]
perihelions 2y ago
This could be related (no news articles as of yet—too insignificant?) - "Entire Commercial Remote Sensing Regulatory Affairs office at NOAA fired (self.space)" - "The Commercial Remote Sensing Regulatory Affairs (CRSRA) directorate at NOAA is the licensing body in the US for remote sensing space platforms. I interact with this office as part of my job in the industry, and we received notice that everyone in the office was fire this week as part of the ongoing gutting of the federal government." https://old.reddit.com/r/space/comments/1j1ww74/entire_commercial_remote_sensing_regulatory/ https://old.reddit.com/r/space/comments/1j1ww74/entire_comme... (4 days ago)
mapt 2y ago
Cutting off imagery and Starlink are going to seriously ream the performance of the Ukrainian front, which is arguably even more heavily dependent on that than on US military hardware. Ukraine has used these advantages over Russia to exceed all expectations; I've heard things like a 3:1 RU:UKR casualty rate on lines where Ukraine is outnumbered 5:1, with 80% of casualties caused by drones and most of the rest by artillery. Much of that is informed by fast-cadence imagery and organized by Starlink. Europe and Ukraine possess only very limited ways to mitigate those losses. This betrayal is going to kill a lot of people.
- ty6853 2y ago
  The US offered them an agreement and Zelensky refused, the consequence is zelensky now has the freedom to operate without the hindrance of the partnership of the devilish Americans. That is their right. They are an independent nation. Their blood lies squarely on the hands of the Russian murderers.
  - beretguy 2y ago
    Keep trying.
  - dralley 2y ago
    >The US offered them an agreement A mostly worthless and symbolic agreement that primarily served to fluff certain egos. >and Zelensky refused He didn't refuse! He was there at the White House to sign the agreement! Then Trump and Vance kicked him out without offering him the chance to sign it!
    - ty6853 2y ago
      There was a recent comment on HN where someone threatened my wife would be raped, my cell phone would stop working, modern society would fall apart, and my children would all be marched off to war if I don't pay taxes to fund Ukraine. Unlike my own greyed comments, those were vetted. Now maybe this is all true. But if it is, knowing how transactional international politics is, why not just sign the fluff agreement and take the bruised ego? It's their right either way. I just find it interesting and a bit bizarre. I think the HN crowd is missing a bit of the more democratic sentiment here, that after years of support we can't keep fueling foreign nations based on blame for others' murder, there needs to be movement towards resolution and if not, Ukraine can shine and show us their independence they're proud of. Personally I don't see this ending unless Zelensky is willing to take a bruised ego.
beveldropshadow 2y ago
[flagged]
qwertox 2y ago
"If Denmark gives us Greenland, we will help Ukraine".
- jopsen 2y ago
  Can we trade for California? it doesn't seem like you really want, and we could use a more sunny colony.

64 points by dralley 2y ago

Aeolun 2y ago

Is there any legal reason why they should comply with such a request?

ty6853 2y ago
My only guess is satellites and their data export might be covered by ITAR when used as military tactical tools for foreign militaries? Can anyone chime in on whether these satellites are limited by ITAR or something similar?
cozzyd 2y ago
Perhaps their large government contract is on the line?
painted-now 2y ago
On Twitter, Maxar made a post stating that this is about data shared through the Global Enhanced GEOINT Delivery program (GEGD).

2Gkashmiri 2y ago

And thats why kids India set their own satellite navigation because USA cannot be trusted. navic. And isro made satellite imagery

zinekeller 2y ago
Well, basically every nation with large enough budget has one set up (US, Russia, EU, China, Japan, and India has them). More directly to the point, I won't be shocked if Airbus (which also operates satellite imagery services) steps up, although that would open a very big hole since, uhm, Airbus makes civilian planes too. (Something to think: European governments have large stakes in Airbus, plus Airbus' history as an intergovernmental consortium might factor in favor here.)
- mopsi 2y ago
  What do you mean by a very big hole? That it would damage the brand and its civilian sales? Airbus is known for civilian airliners, but it has been a major stakeholder in many military projects for decades. Airbus has a 46% (largest) stake in Eurofighter Typoon, 37.5% in MBDA that builds all kinds of missiles, etc: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airbus_Defence_and_Space https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airbus_Defence_and_Space https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MBDA https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MBDA
  - zinekeller 2y ago
    C'mon, US could sanction Airbus as a whole if Trump (or whoever actually manages these things) decides to. This was inconceivable back then, but everything is off the tables now.
deleted 2y ago
[deleted]
toomuchtodo 2y ago
France literally just yesterday successfully launched their spy satellite, which seems to be fortunate timing to get away from the US. https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/europes-ariane-6-stages-first-commercial-launch-2025-03-06/ https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/europes-a...
- mapt 2y ago
  You don't need one. You need hundreds.
  - toomuchtodo 2y ago
    It is progress, not success.
    - red-iron-pine 2y ago
      but ukraine needs successes -- today
      - toomuchtodo 2y ago
        Then the EU needs to refocus from assisting defending on the front line and switch to sabotaging Russia's critical petroleum infra, refineries, pipelines, storage facilities. Success won't be had until they are kneecapped economically (and time is paramount, as you mention). It is known where these facilities are, no spy satellites are needed. https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2025/02/12/ukraine-can-improve-its-campaign-against-russias-infrastructure-heres-how-a87966 https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2025/02/12/ukraine-can-improv... https://san.com/cc/ukraine-strikes-at-russias-economic-heart-oil-refineries-in-flames/ https://san.com/cc/ukraine-strikes-at-russias-economic-heart...

Havoc 2y ago

US is becoming utterly unreliable & it’s going to turn into a problem on the cloud side. All the EU clouds are ahem modest

ukoki 2y ago

More acts of surrender here: http://hotdogeatingsurrendermonkeys.com/ http://hotdogeatingsurrendermonkeys.com/

deleted 2y ago

[deleted]

perihelions 2y ago

This could be related (no news articles as of yet—too insignificant?) - "Entire Commercial Remote Sensing Regulatory Affairs office at NOAA fired (self.space)" - "The Commercial Remote Sensing Regulatory Affairs (CRSRA) directorate at NOAA is the licensing body in the US for remote sensing space platforms. I interact with this office as part of my job in the industry, and we received notice that everyone in the office was fire this week as part of the ongoing gutting of the federal government." https://old.reddit.com/r/space/comments/1j1ww74/entire_commercial_remote_sensing_regulatory/ https://old.reddit.com/r/space/comments/1j1ww74/entire_comme... (4 days ago)

mapt 2y ago

Cutting off imagery and Starlink are going to seriously ream the performance of the Ukrainian front, which is arguably even more heavily dependent on that than on US military hardware. Ukraine has used these advantages over Russia to exceed all expectations; I've heard things like a 3:1 RU:UKR casualty rate on lines where Ukraine is outnumbered 5:1, with 80% of casualties caused by drones and most of the rest by artillery. Much of that is informed by fast-cadence imagery and organized by Starlink. Europe and Ukraine possess only very limited ways to mitigate those losses. This betrayal is going to kill a lot of people.

ty6853 2y ago
The US offered them an agreement and Zelensky refused, the consequence is zelensky now has the freedom to operate without the hindrance of the partnership of the devilish Americans. That is their right. They are an independent nation. Their blood lies squarely on the hands of the Russian murderers.
- beretguy 2y ago
  Keep trying.
- dralley 2y ago
  >The US offered them an agreement A mostly worthless and symbolic agreement that primarily served to fluff certain egos. >and Zelensky refused He didn't refuse! He was there at the White House to sign the agreement! Then Trump and Vance kicked him out without offering him the chance to sign it!
  - ty6853 2y ago
    There was a recent comment on HN where someone threatened my wife would be raped, my cell phone would stop working, modern society would fall apart, and my children would all be marched off to war if I don't pay taxes to fund Ukraine. Unlike my own greyed comments, those were vetted. Now maybe this is all true. But if it is, knowing how transactional international politics is, why not just sign the fluff agreement and take the bruised ego? It's their right either way. I just find it interesting and a bit bizarre. I think the HN crowd is missing a bit of the more democratic sentiment here, that after years of support we can't keep fueling foreign nations based on blame for others' murder, there needs to be movement towards resolution and if not, Ukraine can shine and show us their independence they're proud of. Personally I don't see this ending unless Zelensky is willing to take a bruised ego.

beveldropshadow 2y ago

[flagged]

qwertox 2y ago

"If Denmark gives us Greenland, we will help Ukraine".

jopsen 2y ago
Can we trade for California? it doesn't seem like you really want, and we could use a more sunny colony.