News Mystery Russian satellite's behaviour raises alarm in US

[Notebook]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-45194333

A mysterious Russian satellite displaying "very abnormal behaviour" has raised alarm in the US, according to a State Department official.
"We don't know for certain what it is and there is no way to verify it," said assistant secretary Yleem Poblete at a conference in Switzerland on 14 August.
She voiced fears that it was impossible to say if the object may be a weapon.
Russia has dismissed the comments as "unfounded, slanderous accusations based on suspicions".
The satellite in question was launched in October last year.

US State Department article doesn't name the satellite, any one know?

Probably not this one:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-41498083

N.

 

[Urwumpe]

Strange... the only Russian launch in October 2017, that was not going to the ISS, was the Sentinel-5 precursor mission for the EU....

---------- Post added at 10:19 ---------- Previous post was at 10:04 ----------

Also no different entry in the NSSDCA, there is no unknown satellite launched in October 2017.

 

[jedidia]

there is no unknown satellite launched in October 2017.

I'd take that as an error in the article. The russian response kind of indicates that they are talking about *some* satelite. If the satelite talked about wouldn't exist at all I think the response would have been different.

So right now we don't know what satelite and we don't know what the alleged anomalous behavior is...
Yeah, so far this stinks.

 

[Urwumpe]

I'd take that as an error in the article. The russian response kind of indicates that they are talking about *some* satelite. If the satelite talked about wouldn't exist at all I think the response would have been different.

So right now we don't know what satelite and we don't know what the alleged anomalous behavior is...
Yeah, so far this stinks.

The linked speech also refers to to October 2017. So I suspect it is not the article that is wrong.

https://www.state.gov/t/avc/rls/285128.htm

Mr. President, in October of last year the Russian Ministry of Defense deployed a space object they claimed was a “space apparatus inspector.” But its behavior on-orbit was inconsistent with anything seen before from on-orbit inspection or space situational awareness capabilities, including other Russian inspection satellite activities. We are concerned with what appears to be very abnormal behavior by a declared “space apparatus inspector.” We don’t know for certain what it is and there is no way to verify it. But Russian intentions with respect to this satellite are unclear and are obviously a very troubling development – particularly, when considered in concert with statements by Russia’s Space Force Commander who highlighted that “assimilate[ing] new prototypes of weapons [into] Space Forces’ military units” is a “main task facing the Aerospace Forces Space Troops.”

Strangely, there is no such object.

Possible explanation: Wrong month, such a satellite experiment was launched in June 2017, COSMOS 2519.

http://www.parabolicarc.com/2018/08...ssian-inspector-satellite-space-lasers-asats/

https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraftDisplay.do?id=2017-037A

 

[jedidia]

So they would only be off by 4 months. I guess for the Trump administration that is considered "close enough for government work"...

Any information about what exactly is supposed to be wrong with it?

 

[MaverickSawyer]

Found an article with this information regarding launch date:

The satellite was launched in June 23, 2017 from the Plesetsk Cosmodrone.

Re: what's "wrong" with it: It's maneuvering in ways that are unusual for most satellites... but are to be expected for a satellite interceptor. And, given the description that the Russians used ('space apparatus inspector'), it's likely the US thinks it's either a satellite designed to go up to a satellite and physically interfere with it, or to outright disable it. After all, that's what the US is trying to do quietly as well.

 

[jedidia]

Huh... what's the official reason for its existance? What exactly is it supposed to inspect and why? I guess it would be hard to tell the difference between a satelite designed to pass by other satelites to inspect them and one designed to do the same but in order to jam them.
It probably comes down to how plausible the official function of the satelite actually is, though it could also serve as both, I guess.

After all, that's what the US is trying to do quietly as well.

So we might see nations openly breaking the outer space treaty in the comming years? Fun times ahead. :facepalm:

 

[Urwumpe]

So we might see nations openly breaking the outer space treaty in the comming years? Fun times ahead. :facepalm:

Yeah. As if space isn't hostile enough. I already expect a second "War of Jenkins Ear" just because some military spacecraft got badly damaged by a space debris impact....

 

[Tommy]

There's nothing new going on here, but Trump's Lacky in the State Department is making a statement attempting to justify Twittlers's "Space Force" handouts to the Military Industrial Complex.