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Your support makes all the difference.<\/strong>Read more<\/p>\n Astronomers have observed two Russian military satellites<\/a> passing within 3 metres (10 feet) of each other in an unexplained manoeuvre.<\/p>\n The COSMOS 2581 and COSMOS 2583 satellites, launched by Russia<\/a>\u2019s space agency Roscosmos in February 2025, performed the operation last week while orbiting at an altitude of around 585 kilometres.<\/p>\n The incident, which was tracked by US-based space situational awareness firm COMSPOC, has raised concerns about space-based surveillance and orbital collisions.<\/p>\n \u201cThis week we observed a complex proximity event involving Russian satellites,\u201d COMSPOC wrote in a post<\/a> to X, alongside a simulation of the event.<\/p>\n \u201cThis wasn\u2019t a coincidental pass \u2013 COSMOS 2583 performed several fine manoeuvres to maintain this tight configuration… Whatever Russia is testing, it\u2019s sophisticated.\u201d<\/p>\n Russia has not disclosed the specific purpose of the satellites, though space analysts noted that one of them released a \u201csub-satellite\u201d referred to as Object F. <\/p>\n They are believed to be part of a program involving \u201cinspector satellites\u201d, designed to test or perform surveillance operations of other spacecraft in orbit.<\/p>\n \u201cFrom a precision-engineering perspective, this is genuinely impressive, but close-proximity operations are not unusual,\u201d Dean Sladen, an aerospace engineer at precision engineering components supplier Accu Components, told The Independent.<\/p>\n \u201cEvery crewed and cargo vehicle bound for the International Space Station carries out similar manoeuvres, with spacecraft far larger than these satellites docking within metres of the station on a monthly basis. <\/p>\n \u201cThe difference is [the COSMOS manoeuvre] took place between two free-flying satellites without docking mechanisms or cooperative protocols, and the closing rates were likely higher.\u201d<\/p>\n The manoeuvre is concerning from the perspective of space debris<\/a> in low Earth orbit, with Accu Components\u2019 recent space debris report<\/a> revealing that nearly half of all tracked objects in Earth\u2019s orbit are space junk.<\/p>\n