The Ukrainian military has again struck a Russian space communications center in annexed Crimea, underscoring the strategic importance of this facility in the conflict between the two countries. "Forbes" analyzed the incident in which the Ukrainian army took responsibility for the attack on this space base, which caused a significant response in the international community.
The authors of the material note that the NIP-16 object was built in Yevpatoria as part of the Soviet space program. It was developed to communicate with lunar and Mars probes in the 1960s and 70s, but can also communicate with modern Lotus-C spy satellites and GLONASS navigation satellites, which are the equivalent of the US GPS satellites.
That is why Ukraine is trying to destroy this object, writes Forbes, noting that "twice since December, Ukrainian troops fired missiles at the priceless space base."
This facility is undoubtedly scientifically important, and the impact of the damage to its sophisticated scientific instruments cannot be overstated. However, Forbes notes, the NIP-16 is also a legitimate military target because its transmitters can send signals to and receive signals from surveillance, communications and navigation satellites, including the Liana and GLONASS spacecraft.
Journalists note that NIP-16 is a difficult target. “Its radio dishes, generators and controls are scattered across two large campuses. The most visible piece of equipment, the old plates, is of solid construction.
According to Russian cosmonautics historian Anatoly Zak, the NIP-16 builders collected equipment from old railway bridges, the hulls of decommissioned submarines, and the rotating mechanism from a decommissioned battleship," the article says.
Thus, the authors of the publication believe, Ukraine may need many more strikes to cause serious damage to the facility, not to mention the destruction of the base.
