Russian satellite appears to be tracking US spy satellite in Earth orbit

A Russian satellite uncomfortably positioned itself near an American spy satellite orbiting the Earth, which has led space trackers to speculate that the foreign vehicle was doing its own spying.

The Russian spacecraft is supposed to inspect other satellites, and experts from the space community believe it can now keep a watchful eye on the secret American vehicle. But the motivation behind this harassment in space is still unknown.

Throughout the month of January, amateur satellite trackers kept an eye on the strange behavior of this Russian probe, known as the Kosmos 2542. Launched in November of last year, Kosmos 2542 was in orbit in the same plane that a satellite operated by the National Reconnaissance Office called USA 245, which has been in space since 2013.

"Now Kosmos 2542 is close to United States 245 all the time"
The NRO is a military agency specializing in surveillance and operates a large band of classified satellites that are supposed to spy on places around the world, so it is entirely possible that USA 245 is doing something that the United States would like to keep secret. The fact that the two satellites are on the same plane is not enough to sound the alarm, since the satellites only cross about every 10 days.

"[It] is suspicious, but does not prove anything, because there are many different satellites on this plane," writes Michael Thompson, graduate teaching assistant at Purdue University specializing in satellites and introdynamics, in a e-mail to Le bord.

Kosmos 2542 attracted special attention last week when it performed a series of maneuvers, using its on-board thrusters to get closer to USA 245. Now Kosmos 2542 is close to USA 245 all the time. Thompson writes that the Russian satellite has been in constant sight of its American target for almost two weeks. The two satellites are 150 to 300 km apart at all times, making them essentially neighbors in the vast area of ​​the low Earth orbit. Kosmos 2542 is drifting slowly, but it will be in direct line of sight to USA 245 for weeks, even months, according to Thompson. (It's unless Russia decides to move it again.)

SOMETHING TO POTENTIALLY WATCH: COSMOS 2542, A RUSSIAN INSPECTION SATELLITE, RECENTLY SYNCHRONIZED ITS ORBIT WITH USA 245, A NRO KH11.
ONE WIRE: PIC.TWITTER.COM/LQVYIIYBMD

- MICHAEL THOMPSON (@M_R_THOMP) JANUARY 30, 2020

Thompson revealed all of this information in a Twitter feed, suggesting that Kosmos 2542 is carrying out an inspection of one of the American assets. And this is not a completely unexpected conclusion to draw. Before Russia launched the satellite, the Russian Defense Ministry claimed that the spacecraft was indeed designed to inspect other satellites in space, according to the Russian Space Web site, which tracks the Russian space industry. . Most assumed that it would inspect other Russian spacecraft, unclassified spy satellites operated by the United States.

Of course, we ultimately don't know the real reason why Kosmos 2542 did these maneuvers. But most experts say there is really only one good explanation: one satellite tracks the other.

"The conclusion that he is monitoring the NRO satellite is speculation, but it is informed by orbital data," wrote Brian Weeden, director of program planning for the Secure World Foundation, in an email to Edge. "Right now, this is the most likely explanation we have for why the Russian satellite maneuvered as it did and why it is in this orbit."

What happens next is not clear. Chances are good, no danger will come to the American satellite, as Russia says its probe is only for inspection. However, concerns have been expressed that the satellites could be mutually in space if they got close enough. The Ministry of Defense has sounded the alarm about satellites hitting other satellites, spraying them with chemicals or firing them with lasers to destroy them. This kind of space war hasn't happened yet, but it is certainly on the radar of the United States government.

In addition, there is no defined protocol on what to do when the satellite of another country becomes too user-friendly. "One of the big concerns is that we don't have agreed rules or standards on how these close-in approaches should be done," says Weeden. "It means an increased risk that someone may have a bad perception of what is going on, perhaps even confuse it with an attack."

It's not like this kind of behavior is completely new. Weeden noted that Russia and China have carried out extensive inspections of their own satellites in the past. And in 2015, a Russian satellite called Luch stood next to two American communications satellites operated by Intelsat, and stayed there for five months before moving. On the other hand, the United States is also guilty of this practice, says Weeden. The U.S. military operates a series of satellites as part of its geosynchronous spatial awareness program (GSSAP), which are responsible for approaching and verifying satellites operated by other countries.

For now, Thompson says he will continue to monitor the whereabouts of Kosmos 2542. Details of the satellite's route are available at space-track.org, a website that publishes tracking data collected by the US Air Force on as many satellites and pieces of debris in orbit as possible. He notes that he is certainly not the only one watching either. "Since the orbits of these Russian satellites are public information, anyone who wants to can watch it, and I know many people in our community are," says Thompson.