The Pentagon has recently called out Russia for deploying a spy satellite that is accused of closely monitoring the orbital reconnaissance satellite "USA-326" once again, as reported first by Space.com.
Known as Kosmos 2558, the Russian satellite was launched on Aug. 1 and appeared to have been put in close orbit to the classified American spy satellite that was launched on Feb. 2.
"Really Irresponsible Behavior"
As of August 2, Kosmos 2558 is replicating the US satellite's orbit with a variation of just 0.04 degrees and a distance of 37 miles (60 kilometers), according to satellite tracker Marco Langbroek of the Netherlands.
The commander of U.S. forces, Gen. James H. Dickinson, said in a statement with NBC that Russia's move is a "really irresponsible behavior."
"We see that it's in a similar orbit to one of our high-value assets for the U.S. government. And so we'll continue like we always do, to continue to update that and track that," Dickinson added.
At Schriever Space Force Base in Colorado Springs, a video crew from NBC News was given access to the National Space Defense Center (NSDC). This is the first time cameras have been let inside the facility, according to the NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt report.
The goal of NSDC is to compile and exchange data from a wide range of satellites and ground-based monitoring stations with the American military and intelligence community.
Kosmos 2558 is alleged to be an "inspector satellite" with the ability to approach other spacecraft in close orbit.
Jonathan McDowell, an astronomer at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, claimed that the satellite likely features a sensor system designed to view other spacecraft rather than the typical observing satellite designed to take photographs of the ground.
There have been instances in the past when Russian satellites were alleged to be spying on American satellites. For example, in 2020, a Russian satellite called "Kosmos 2542" was pursuing the electro-optical espionage satellite "USA 245" in low Earth orbit.
Read also: Russia is Extending its Stay on the ISS until 2028-To Continue Missions Until Time Comes
Top-Secret Mission
USA-326 is a top-secret national security mission managed by the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) in coordination with SpaceX. It was launched through a Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in February of this year. This mission was known as NROL-87.
NROL-87 was developed, built, and is now being managed by the NRO to assist its "overhead reconnaissance mission," which is primarily focused on maintaining national security, according to a statement made by the NRO in a press release published following its inaugural launch.
The US has already criticized Russia for alleged reckless behavior in orbit. Thousands of trackable pieces of orbital debris were left behind after Russia launched a missile in 2021 to destroy one of its defunct satellites.
Some of these fragments forced the International Space Station to move out of harm's path, as noted by Space.com.
Related Article: Roscosmos Says It Will Use Its ISS Part in Any Way - A Reply To NASA's Criticism Over Russian-Backed Territory Flags
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Written by Joaquin Victor Tacla
