Russian spy satellite reportedly continues suspicious maneuvers

WASHINGTON — A Russian inspector satellite known as Luch 2 is on the move again, continuing its pattern of unusual maneuvers that have raised eyebrows in the space intelligence community, the space tracking firm Slingshot Aerospace said June 27.

Slingshot reports that the satellite, which has been in orbit for just over a year, has been positioning itself near several communications satellites in what appears to be an ongoing signals intelligence-gathering mission. 

Luch 2’s latest move, flagged by Slingshot’s automated tracking system, was a “large maneuver” on June 23 that would indicate that the satellite is moving towards an Intelsat communications satellite. 

Audrey Schaffer, Slingshot’s vice president of strategy and policy, said the company “has had eyes on Luch 2 since it was launched in March 2023, and our machine learning algorithms have predicted its next move.”

The company is forecasting that Luch 2’s next object of interest is the Intelsat 1002 communications satellite. 

“Luch 2 is expected to perform an additional maneuver to stop its drift near Intelsat 1002 on June 28 if it continues its past pattern of behavior,” Slingshot said. This behavior mirrors that of its predecessor, Luch Olymp-K-1, which has been known for similar intelligence-gathering activities.

Since its launch, Luch 2 has been notably active, making several significant maneuvers during its first 14 months in orbit, said the company. The satellite’s closest approach to date was with Eutelsat’s KA-SAT 9A, coming within approximately 20 km of the communications satellite.

The following are European, African and U.S. communications satellites with which Luch 2 has made the closest approaches, according to Slingshot’s data:

• EUTE KA SAT 9A (KA SAT)
(~20 km)

• EUTELSAT 9B
(~43 km)
• EUTE 3B
(~38 km)
• RASCOM QAF 1R
(~163 km)
• EUTE 3C (HB 10)
(~220 km)
• EUTE KONNECT VHTS
(~30 km)

• RASCOM QAF 1R
(~137 km)
• ASTRA 4A (SIRIUS 4)
(~45 km)

• SES 5
(~154 km)
• INTELSAT 3-F7
(~228 km)

Schaffer noted that Luch 2 “has a history of cozying up to communications satellites, and it now appears to be repositioning itself near its next target.” 

While Slingshot couldn’t comment on whether Luch 2 can intercept communications routed through the satellites it approaches, the company’s decision to release this information is aimed at allowing satellite operators to “make informed decisions about their spacecraft.”

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