GoKawiil
Tech News
Tracking data and LeoLabs analysis indicate Russia's Kosmos 2612 conducted a close rendezvous with ICEYE's X36 commercial radar imaging satellite, with estimates ranging from roughly 85 feet to about 500 meters of separation. LeoLabs says the maneuver involved a controlled approach, position shifts, loitering near the satellite, and a controlled departure, rather than a routine orbital pass.
LeoLabs, a commercial space-tracking company, reported that Russia's Kosmos 2612 military satellite executed a deliberate rendezvous with ICEYE-X36, a US-operated commercial imaging satellite, closing from hundreds of kilometers to within roughly 2-3 kilometers and at times under 500 meters before moving away. The company said four of six satellites launched alongside Kosmos 2612 in April had adjusted their orbits to track ICEYE-X36, and described the close pass as a controlled approach, loitering period and departure consistent with sophisticated rendezvous and proximity operations.
Tracking data shows Russia's Cosmos 2612 military satellite performed a maneuver on October 16 that brought it within roughly 3 miles of ICEYE-X36, a US-registered synthetic aperture radar satellite, after previously keeping over 200 miles away. Satellite tracking firm LeoLabs called the move a deliberate approach of uncertain intent, and the maneuver was made without approval from ICEYE, which operates a satellite fleet that has supplied imagery to Ukraine since 2022.