Russian Satellite Menaces U.S. Craft Aiding Ukraine, Then Backs Off After Close Orbit Approach
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Oct 20
Russian Satellite Menaces U.S. Craft Aiding Ukraine, Then Backs Off After Close Orbit Approach
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Oct 20
Summary
Kosmos 2612 moved threateningly close over the weekend to ICEYE-X36, a U.S.-registered commercial radar satellite whose imagery supports Ukraine’s military, before pulling away.
The approach followed a series of maneuvers that began on Sept. 30, raising questions among analysts over whether Russia was probing, signaling or preparing a possible attack it later abandoned.
ICEYE-X36 belongs to Finland-based ICEYE, which in August 2022 transferred one satellite to Ukraine and in January expanded Kyiv’s access to its space-based data under a new contract.
The episode broadens an orbital cat-and-mouse contest usually centered on military spacecraft, suggesting commercial satellites aiding war efforts can also become targets.