A Russian cosmonaut has been removed from an upcoming SpaceX mission to the International Space Station after reportedly mishandling sensitive technical materials during training in the United States.
The investigative outlet The Insider reported that Oleg Artemyev, a veteran cosmonaut, allegedly photographed and removed restricted documents at SpaceX’s training facility in Hawthorne, California.
Space industry analyst Georgy Trishkin told The Insider that an interagency investigation was launched in response to the incident.
A popular space industry Telegram channel, Yura Prosti, separately claimed that Artemyev had been taken off the mission last week after photographing SpaceX engines and other materials controlled under U.S. export laws.
“It’s hard to imagine an experienced cosmonaut making such a serious mistake unintentionally,” Trishkin told The Insider.
TPRM report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/spacex
"id": "spa1764772314",
"linkid": "spacex",
"type": "Breach",
"date": "2025-12-03T00:00:00.000Z",
"severity": "85",
"impact": "4",
"explanation": "Attack with significant impact with customers data leaks"{'incident': {'affected_entities': [{'customers_affected': None,
'industry': 'Aerospace / Space '
'Exploration',
'location': 'Hawthorne, California, USA',
'name': 'SpaceX',
'size': None,
'type': 'Private Company'}],
'attack_vector': 'Physical Access / Human Error',
'data_breach': {'data_encryption': None,
'data_exfiltration': 'Photographed and '
'potentially removed from '
'facility',
'file_types_exposed': None,
'number_of_records_exposed': None,
'personally_identifiable_information': None,
'sensitivity_of_data': 'High (controlled under '
'U.S. export laws)',
'type_of_data_compromised': 'Technical '
'documents, engine '
'designs, restricted '
'materials'},
'description': 'A Russian cosmonaut was removed from an upcoming '
'SpaceX mission to the International Space '
'Station after allegedly mishandling sensitive '
'technical materials during training in the '
'United States. Oleg Artemyev reportedly '
'photographed and removed restricted documents at '
'SpaceX’s training facility in Hawthorne, '
'California.',
'impact': {'brand_reputation_impact': 'Potential reputational '
'damage to SpaceX and '
'international '
'collaboration',
'conversion_rate_impact': None,
'customer_complaints': None,
'data_compromised': 'Sensitive technical materials, '
'including SpaceX engines and '
'restricted documents',
'downtime': None,
'financial_loss': None,
'identity_theft_risk': None,
'legal_liabilities': 'Potential violation of U.S. '
'export laws',
'operational_impact': 'Removal of cosmonaut from '
'mission, potential delays or '
'reassessment of training '
'protocols',
'payment_information_risk': None,
'revenue_loss': None,
'systems_affected': None},
'initial_access_broker': {'backdoors_established': None,
'data_sold_on_dark_web': None,
'entry_point': None,
'high_value_targets': None,
'reconnaissance_period': None},
'investigation_status': 'Ongoing (interagency investigation '
'launched)',
'motivation': 'Potential espionage or unauthorized data '
'collection',
'post_incident_analysis': {'corrective_actions': None,
'root_causes': 'Potential lack of '
'oversight, human '
'error, or intentional '
'espionage'},
'ransomware': {'data_encryption': None,
'data_exfiltration': None,
'ransom_demanded': None,
'ransom_paid': None,
'ransomware_strain': None},
'references': [{'date_accessed': None,
'source': 'The Insider',
'url': None},
{'date_accessed': None,
'source': 'Yura Prosti (Telegram channel)',
'url': None}],
'regulatory_compliance': {'fines_imposed': None,
'legal_actions': None,
'regulations_violated': 'Potential '
'violation of '
'U.S. export '
'control laws '
'(e.g., ITAR, '
'EAR)',
'regulatory_notifications': None},
'response': {'adaptive_behavioral_waf': None,
'communication_strategy': None,
'containment_measures': 'Cosmonaut removed from '
'mission',
'enhanced_monitoring': None,
'incident_response_plan_activated': None,
'law_enforcement_notified': None,
'network_segmentation': None,
'on_demand_scrubbing_services': None,
'recovery_measures': None,
'remediation_measures': None,
'third_party_assistance': None},
'threat_actor': 'Oleg Artemyev (Russian cosmonaut)',
'title': 'Russian Cosmonaut Removed from SpaceX Mission Due to '
'Mishandling Sensitive Technical Materials',
'type': 'Data Breach / Espionage',
'vulnerability_exploited': 'Lack of proper access controls or '
'oversight during training'}}