Prior to its most recent set of maneuvers, it was still in the same plane as USA 245, but its period was offset such that there were only relatively close passes every 11-12 days.— Michael Thompson (@M_R_Thomp) January 30, 2020
Daily Mail: Mysterious Russian spacecraft has maneuvered into orbit right behind a $4 billion US spy satellite - and the Pentagon is worried it could be preparing for an attack
* Cosmos 2542 is a Russian 'space apparatus inspector' designed to monitor other satellites in space
* After it launched in November 2019, it was bypassing a US spy satellite, USA 245, every 11 or 12 days
* However, between January 20-23, Cosmos 2542 made several maneuvers to end up in the same orbit as the US satellite
* It is now closely following USA 245, which experts say could mean it is taking photos or preparing to attack
A Russian 'inspector' spacecraft has changed its orbit to closely follow a secret American spy satellite.
On January 20, Cosmos 2542 maneuvered so it was behind USA 245, a satellite that gathers images for military and intelligence purposes for the $4billion KH-11 photo reconnaissance project.
The Russian craft is a 'space apparatus inspector,' meaning it's designed to monitor other satellites in space - and the US government has warned that it can use cameras and sensors to gather information about other satellites or even use high-power microwaves, lasers or radio frequency jammers to launch an attack.
Read more ....
Update #1: Why Is Mystery Russian Spacecraft Suddenly Stalking Secret U.S. Spy Satellite? (Daily Beast)
Update #2: A Russian "Inspector" Spacecraft Now Appears To Be Shadowing An American Spy Satellite (Warzone/The Drive)
Update #3: A Russian satellite seems to be tailing a US spy satellite in Earth orbit (The Verge)
WNU Editor: Satellites spying on other satellites.
