Outer space

Russian Astronomers Spot Mysterious New Manoeuvring Satellite in Earth's Orbit

The satellite is said to be operating in geostationary orbit, in the same area where the vast majority of Earth's communications and television broadcasting satellites are situated.

Astronomers from the Irkutsk-based Institute of Solar-Terrestrial Physics have spotted a new class of manoeuvring satellite, with their findings published in a new report released ahead of a Moscow conference dedicated to space debris.

The researchers promised to provide more information about the mystery device, spotted at the Sayan Solar Observatory in eastern Siberia using the AZT-33IK optical telescope, during the conference itself, which is set to kick off on Wednesday and run until Friday.

The orbital device is said to be a micro-class satellite capable of manoeuvring between other satellites. For now, the scientists said, all they could reveal was that their findings have allowed them to pinpoint the activity of such devices and register the end of their operations.