NRO warns of Russian military satellite orbiting with suspected kinetic weapon on board near U.S. government satellite
The activity of the Cosmos 2588 satellite has caused suspicion, particularly in light of similar maneuvers made by other Russian satellites in recent years.
There is growing suspicion over the intentions of a recently launched Russian satellite, which has moved into orbit near a U.S. government satellite.
On May 23, Russia launched the Cosmos 2588 satellite, claiming its sole objective was space monitoring and inspection. However, it has been placed into a coplanar orbit with USA 338, believed to be part of a surveillance network belonging to the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), with its activity leading to suggestions it is in fact a co-orbital anti-satellite (ASAT) weapon.
U.S.-based satellite tracking company Slingshot Aerospace posted a tracking image of Cosmos 2588 on social media last week and voiced its belief the satellite “may be focusing on” USA 338, described as a “co-planar uncatalogued object”.
What is a kinetic weapon?
Additionally, data from satellite database and space market analysis company Seradata claims Cosmos 2588 could be a “NIVELIR military inspection satellite with a suspected kinetic weapon onboard”.
NIVELIR is a Russian military satellite program which has been in operation since 2017. A kinetic weapon is any kind of weapon based on a projectile’s kinetic energy. In the context of space, they are designed to destroy space assets, either through an intentional collision or by using warheads.
According to Dutch astronomer Marco Langbroek, this is the fourth time in five years a Russian military satellite has been put in a co-orbital path with a U.S. optical reconnaissance satellite. The frequency of the occurrence has led to suspicion Russia could be looking to position dormant co-orbital anti-satellite weapons.
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