Russian satellite causes GPS interference across Europe

A new study has identified a pattern of brief but widespread interference with GPS signals across Europe and North America, with evidence pointing to a Russian military satellite as the likely source. The research, led by Todd Humphreys of the University of Texas at Austin, analyzed data from ground-based monitoring stations and found 75 instances of sudden signal degradation between January 2019 and April 2026.

Each interference event lasted fewer than 10 seconds but was detected simultaneously from Spain to Poland and across the Atlantic to Canada and Greenland. The geographic scale indicated the source was in space, not a terrestrial jammer. The disruptions consistently targeted the narrow radio band where GPS transmits and occurred predominantly on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays during European business hours. Researchers say this scheduled, weekday pattern suggests deliberate testing rather than random malfunction or natural atmospheric interference.

By calculating the source's altitude at approximately 1,200 kilometers and cross-referencing satellite positions, the investigation identified the Russian satellite Kosmos 2546 as the probable culprit. This spacecraft is...