Data indicates the Cosmos 2553 – which US officials claim is aiding Moscow’s development of nuclear anti-satellite weapon – may no longer be functional
A secretive Russian satellite in space that US officials believe is connected to a nuclear anti-satellite weapons program has appeared to be spinning uncontrollably, suggesting it may no longer be functioning in what could be a setback for Moscow’s space weapons efforts, according to US analysts.
The Cosmos 2553 satellite, launched by Russia weeks before invading Ukraine in 2022, has had various bouts of what appears to be errant spinning over the past year, according to Doppler radar data from space-tracking firm LeoLabs and optical data from Slingshot Aerospace, shared with Reuters.
Believed to be a radar satellite for Russian intelligence as well as a radiation testing platform, the satellite last year became the centre of US allegations that Russia for years has been developing a nuclear weapon capable of destroying entire satellite networks, such as SpaceX’s vast Starlink internet system that Ukrainian troops have been using.
Maybe it’ll fall on trump.
All my thots and prayers will go towards this
We’ll have to blame Ukraine rather than Russia though, it’s what he would’ve wanted
It didn’t actually break, they’re just playing nuclear Russian roulette.
The Ukraine can take out an Orc general in his car just outside of Moscow - and a Z satellite in orbit.
Sweet!
It’s just Ukraine. Not the Ukraine. It’d be like saying the france or the canada.
The “the” of it was actually a product of Russia laying claim to Ukraine. The idea was that it implies Ukraine is just one region within a larger body iirc.
Space Force in action.
Wait, I’ve seen that movie. It ends with a bank heist gone terribly wrong. Better go looking for that
satelite dishradio telescope in Cuba…Many flashbacks to 80s movies and many speeches including “to protect our way of life”.
