Author: Stephen Johnson / Source: Big Think
- U.S. intelligence recorded a Russian rocket deploying a mysterious object during a recent mission.
- It’s possibly an inspector satellite, a spacecraft designed to repair, monitor and, potentially, destroy other satellites.
- Weaponized satellites would likely be used in the early stages of a large-scale conflict, U. S. intelligence reports.
On November 30, a rocket launched from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in Western Russia and delivered three Rodnik communications satellites into orbit. The U.S. military’s Combined Space Operations Center (CSpOC) knew about the launch in advance and was keeping a close eye on the mission, expecting to see four new orbital objects: three satellites and the upper stage of the vehicle.
Strangely, the CSpOC saw five objects leave the rocket. It’s possible the mystery object resulted from the upper stage breaking into two pieces, both of which were large enough for the military to track. But it’s also possible the object is a so-called inspector satellite.
Inspector satellites are sophisticated spacecraft capable of maneuvering close to other space objects for, as the name suggests, inspecting. These satellites could also potentially be used to refuel spacecraft, track space missions and repair other satellites. However, they could also be weaponized to spy on other countries,…
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