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Russian satellite makes provocative maneuver close to US-operated radar craft

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Russian satellite makes provocative maneuver close to US-operated radar craft

A Russian satellite has made a provocative maneuver close to a Western satellite. The incident happened recently between Russia’s Kosmos 2612 and the American-owned commercial ICEYE-X36, according to the commercial space-tracking company LeoLabs.

The Cosmos 2612 reportedly approached ICEYE-X36 after a series of orbital adjustments that brought the two satellites unusually close together. The Russian satellite repeatedly changed its relative position around the commercial spacecraft before eventually moving away. The episode has been described by analysts as an unprecedented example of an apparently uncoordinated close approach between active satellites in low Earth orbit.

Cosmos 2612 began a series of maneuvres directed towards ICEYE-X36 in mid-October. The Russian spacecraft reportedly reduced its separation from hundreds of kilometers, moved within a few kilometers of the commercial satellite and subsequently approached to around 1,600 feet (500 meters), according to the company’s tracking assessment. The Russian satellite also shifted between positions ahead of and behind ICEYE-X36 before beginning to move away. “We have observed COSMOS 2612 drift away from ICEYE-X36 since October 18. However, it’s possible that the spacecraft will resume its RPO activity and/or that other recently launched Russian spacecraft may engage in similar activities,” said LeoLabs in a post. “The ability to detect, track, and explain this kind of activity is becoming a core requirement for protecting space infrastructure and supporting informed decisions by operators and other stakeholders. ICEYE-X36 is part of the satellite-imaging ecosystem associated with ICEYE, a Finnish-founded company specializing in synthetic aperture radar (SAR) technology. The satellite is operated through the company’s US-registered operations.


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