Four Russian satellites are now within striking distance of an ICEYE radarsat
Summary
Four Russian military satellites recently changed their orbits to fly closer to a Finnish-American radar satellite called ICEYE-X36. This move lets the Russian satellites pass near the surveillance satellite, which provides radar images to the US military, European governments, and Ukraine.Key Facts
- The Russian satellites are named Kosmos 2610, 2611, 2612, and 2613.
- They launched together on April 16 from northern Russia on a Soyuz-2.1b rocket.
- The satellites adjusted their orbital angles by less than one degree, which is a fuel-heavy maneuver.
- These changes allow the Russian satellites to pass within about 500 meters to 22 kilometers of the ICEYE-X36 satellite.
- ICEYE-X36 is used to capture radar images in all weather and supports the US military, Europe, and Ukraine.
- A fifth Russian satellite from the same launch seems to be making similar moves toward the ICEYE satellite.
- US officials think some of these Russian satellites might be part of an anti-satellite weapons program.
- The US Space Force has sent inspection satellites in response to Russian military satellites seen in space.
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