What Happened
Russia Tests Advanced Space-Based Surveillance Capabilities
Two Russian military satellites, COSMOS 2581 and COSMOS 2583, have performed a close proximity manoeuvre in low Earth orbit, raising concerns about space-based surveillance and orbital collisions. The satellites, launched by Russia’s space agency Roscosmos in February 2025, are believed to be part of a program involving inspector satellites designed to test or perform surveillance operations of other spacecraft in orbit. The incident highlights the potential risks of space debris in low Earth orbit, with nearly half of all tracked objects in Earth’s orbit being space junk, and the possibility of a collision leading to the Kessler syndrome. This development was first reported by Yahoo.