Outer space

Russian Satellite Alters Orbit to Shadow US Spy Satellite

The US and Russia have long employed spy satellites to keep tabs on the world, but what about keeping tabs on the satellites? A pair of satellites are currently locked in a bizarre dance as a Russian probe trails its US counterpart for unknown reasons. Russia swears the satellite is completely harmless, but experts aren’t buying that. We might be looking at the first confirmed case of satellite-on-satellite spying. 

Unlike most elements of spycraft, the general public can follow the movements of spy satellites in orbit. We may not know what they’re doing, but it’s possible to make some inferences based on how they maneuver. Russia’s Kosmos 2542 probe is doing some unusual maneuvering indeed. 

Before the last few weeks of January, Kosmos 2542 and a US satellite known as USA 245 were on similar orbital planes, but they only crossed paths once every 11 or 12 days. Instead of drifting apart as usual, Kosmos 2542 executed a series of maneuvers that brought it in sync with the US satellite. Purdue University graduate student Michael Thompson spotted the maneuvers and posted details on Twitter. According to Thompson, Kosmos 2542 fired its thrusters on January 20, 21, and 22 to take up a position just 186 miles away from USA 245.