Three's a party: US, China, and now Russia are on the prowl in GEO
Summary
The United States, China, and now Russia are actively using satellites in geosynchronous orbit to observe and gather information about one another's space activities. Russia recently launched a new satellite, Kosmos 2589, into this orbit, where US satellites are monitoring it closely.Key Facts
- Geosynchronous orbit (GEO) is about 22,000 miles above Earth’s equator, allowing satellites to stay over the same spot on Earth.
- The US military has used “inspector” satellites since 2014 to approach and observe other countries' satellites in GEO.
- China began similar satellite missions in 2018 and has satellites that can maneuver close to US military satellites.
- Russia recently launched Kosmos 2589 and Kosmos 2590 satellites, which performed maneuvers before Kosmos 2589 moved into GEO in April 2025.
- A US GSSAP satellite is currently following Kosmos 2589 closely, coming within about 8 miles (13 kilometers) twice a day.
- These satellites are used for reconnaissance—to see where other satellites are, what they look like, and what they can do.
- Russia’s previous satellites in GEO mostly focused on listening to or jamming communications.
- The purpose of Kosmos 2589 is not fully known, but some suspect it may be an anti-satellite system.
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