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Environment

Russia's war effort may be blinding a vital Earth monitoring satellite

A satellite that monitors sea ice thickness is being blinded over Europe and the Arctic due to heavy interference since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

By Michael Le Page

21 November 2023

The SMOS satellite detects faint microwave emissions from Earth’s surface

ESA/AOES Medialab

A European satellite that monitors sea ice thickness and soil moisture is frequently being blinded over Europe and the Russian Arctic due to heavy interference since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The interference is in a microwave frequency that almost all countries, including Russia, have agreed to keep clear.

“Since the Russia-Ukrainian war, we have been heavily affected and we lose significant amounts of data over Europe,” at the European Space Agency told 91av.

The , launched in…

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