ship’s deck showing some of the terrorists with guns in their hands, taken from
space satellites. Professor Carlo Buongiorno,
16
head of the space office of the
Italian National Research Council (CNR) reported how that event pushed the
Italian government to set up a national space agency
17
shortly afterwards. Actually,
Buongiorno was then called to lead the just-created agency.
In 1986, American and French spy satellites took photos of the Chernobyl
nuclear power plant immediately after the explosion of the central reactor. The
Soviet authorities were silent about the disaster, meaning those pictures were the
only way western countries could evaluate the real damage and potential environmental impact of the incident. In light of this evidence, the public requested constant information about the evolution of the toxic cloud, and awareness rose about
the importance of space-based observation systems for environmental protection.
In addition to visually observing the planet, spy satellites can also be used to
intercept radio communications.
In the eighties, the US launched into orbit the Magnum/Orion satellites. These
were capable of intercepting all kinds of radio transmissions, including voice and
data, thanks to their huge antennas, which were over a hundred meters in diameter.
Just a few of them could cover the whole planet. This space-based network was
part of a larger spying structure named Echelon,
18
capable of intercepting more
than 100 million communications per month through a network of centres located
in the US, Great Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Denmark,
Turkey and South Korea. Echelon was first created in 1947 by the US and UK
intelligence to eavesdrop on military and diplomatic broadcasts from eastern
countries
19
and remained secret until the eighties, when leaks revealed its existence.
20
It was used primarily for political and military purposes, but at times for
commercial ones as well. For instance in 1994, the McDonnell Douglas company
managed to win a large order of commercial aircrafts from Saudi Arabia, beating
its Airbus competitor, thanks to confidential information obtained through
Echelon.
21
This event was confirmed by the CIA director, James Woolsey, in an
interview with the Wall Street Journal.
22
16
Private conversations of the author with Carlo Buongiorno.
17
Ferrone, Enrico. 2011. Carlo Buongiorno, lo Spazio di una vita. Tanger: Logisma.
18
George, Roger Z., and Kline, Robert D. 2006. Intelligence and the National Security
Strategist: Enduring Issues and Challenges. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield, 148.
19
Keefe, Patrick Radden. 2006. Chatter: Uncovering the Echelon Surveillance Network and
the Secret World of Global Eavesdropping. New York: Random House Publishing Group.
20
Keenan, Kevin M. 2005. Invasion of Privacy: A Reference Handbook. Santa Barbara: ABCCLIO, 43.
21
idem
22
Woolsey, James. 2000. Why We Spy on Our Allies. Wall Street Journal, 17 March.
Beyond the Movies: The Real War for Space We Never Saw on Screen 37
space satellites. Professor Carlo Buongiorno,
16
head of the space office of the
Italian National Research Council (CNR) reported how that event pushed the
Italian government to set up a national space agency
17
shortly afterwards. Actually,
Buongiorno was then called to lead the just-created agency.
In 1986, American and French spy satellites took photos of the Chernobyl
nuclear power plant immediately after the explosion of the central reactor. The
Soviet authorities were silent about the disaster, meaning those pictures were the
only way western countries could evaluate the real damage and potential environmental impact of the incident. In light of this evidence, the public requested constant information about the evolution of the toxic cloud, and awareness rose about
the importance of space-based observation systems for environmental protection.
In addition to visually observing the planet, spy satellites can also be used to
intercept radio communications.
In the eighties, the US launched into orbit the Magnum/Orion satellites. These
were capable of intercepting all kinds of radio transmissions, including voice and
data, thanks to their huge antennas, which were over a hundred meters in diameter.
Just a few of them could cover the whole planet. This space-based network was
part of a larger spying structure named Echelon,
18
capable of intercepting more
than 100 million communications per month through a network of centres located
in the US, Great Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Denmark,
Turkey and South Korea. Echelon was first created in 1947 by the US and UK
intelligence to eavesdrop on military and diplomatic broadcasts from eastern
countries
19
and remained secret until the eighties, when leaks revealed its existence.
20
It was used primarily for political and military purposes, but at times for
commercial ones as well. For instance in 1994, the McDonnell Douglas company
managed to win a large order of commercial aircrafts from Saudi Arabia, beating
its Airbus competitor, thanks to confidential information obtained through
Echelon.
21
This event was confirmed by the CIA director, James Woolsey, in an
interview with the Wall Street Journal.
22
16
Private conversations of the author with Carlo Buongiorno.
17
Ferrone, Enrico. 2011. Carlo Buongiorno, lo Spazio di una vita. Tanger: Logisma.
18
George, Roger Z., and Kline, Robert D. 2006. Intelligence and the National Security
Strategist: Enduring Issues and Challenges. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield, 148.
19
Keefe, Patrick Radden. 2006. Chatter: Uncovering the Echelon Surveillance Network and
the Secret World of Global Eavesdropping. New York: Random House Publishing Group.
20
Keenan, Kevin M. 2005. Invasion of Privacy: A Reference Handbook. Santa Barbara: ABCCLIO, 43.
21
idem
22
Woolsey, James. 2000. Why We Spy on Our Allies. Wall Street Journal, 17 March.
Beyond the Movies: The Real War for Space We Never Saw on Screen 37