{"id":1756,"date":"2025-04-26T14:16:31","date_gmt":"2025-04-26T14:16:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.phithuongbatphu.com\/?p=1756"},"modified":"2025-04-30T01:48:47","modified_gmt":"2025-04-30T01:48:47","slug":"controversial-russian-satellite-involved-in-nuclear-row-is-spinning-out-of-control","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.phithuongbatphu.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/26\/controversial-russian-satellite-involved-in-nuclear-row-is-spinning-out-of-control\/","title":{"rendered":"Controversial Russian satellite involved in nuclear row is \u2018spinning out of control\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Russia’s Cosmos 2553 satellite being launched in February 2022 from the Plesetsk military cosmodrome in northern Russia (Picture: Roscosmos.east2west news)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A controversial Russian satellite that US<\/a> officials suspect is linked to nuclear anti-satellite nuclear weapons appears to be ‘spinning uncontrollably’. <\/p>\n

It’s thought Cosmos 2553, which Russia<\/a> launched into space shortly before the country invaded Ukraine in 2022, is no longer functioning.<\/p>\n

Believed to be a radar\u00a0satellite\u00a0for\u00a0Russian\u00a0intelligence as well as a radiation testing platform, Cosmos 2553\u00a0last year became the centre of US allegations that Russia has been developing a nuclear weapon capable of destroying entire\u00a0satellite\u00a0networks. <\/p>\n

This would include Elon Musk’s Starlink internet system used by Ukraine during the war. <\/p>\n

Vladimir Putin, however, rejected the accusations and claimed the satellite was for research purposes.<\/p>\n

The satellite has had various bouts of what appears to be errant spinning and tumbling over the past year, according to Doppler radar data from space-tracking firm LeoLabs and optical data from Slingshot Aerospace.<\/p>\n

‘This observation strongly suggests the satellite is no longer operational,’ the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington-based think tank, said in its annual Space Threat Assessment. <\/p>\n

\n
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The US suspect the satellite is being used to aid Russia’s development of a nuclear anti-satellite weapon (Picture: Roscosmos; east2west news)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

U.S. Space Command, which tracks objects in space and has condemned\u00a0Russian\u00a0military\u00a0satellites in the past, said it was aware of a change in Cosmos 2553’s altitude but declined to provide further assessment on its current state.<\/p>\n

U.S. officials suspect that while the satellite itself is not a weapon, it is being used to aid Russia’s development of a nuclear anti-satellite\u00a0weapon. <\/p>\n

Slingshot, whose global telescope network has been tracking the spacecraft since its February 5, 2022, launch, detected movements in May 2024.<\/p>\n

‘Slingshot noted that the object’s brightness became variable, indicating a potential tumble,’ a company spokesperson said.<\/p>\n

But according to Slingshot’s latest observations, Cosmos 2553 appears to have stabilised, according to Belinda Marchand, the company’s chief science officer.<\/p>\n

Russia, a U.S. Space Command spokesperson said, has claimed Cosmos 2553’s mission is to test on-board instruments in a high-radiation environment, ‘but this does not align with its characteristics’. <\/p>\n

‘This inconsistency, paired with a demonstrated willingness to target U.S. and allied on-orbit objects, increases the risk of misperception and escalation,’ the spokesperson said.<\/p>\n

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk<\/a>.<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n

For more stories like this, <\/strong>check our news page<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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