Russian spacecraft maneuvers in “extreme proximity” to satellite used by Ukraine

A Russian military satellite maneuvered in “extreme proximity” of a commercial Earth-imaging satellite in recent days in the first known example an unsanctioned rendezvous in low-Earth orbit, according to the orbital intelligence company LeoLabs.

The Russian spacecraft, Kosmos 2612, “conducted a deliberate series of maneuvers toward ICEYE-X36, a US-operated commercial imaging satellite,” LeoLabs said. “Kosmos 2612 closed from hundreds of kilometers away to extreme proximity to ICEYE-X36. It then maneuvered around ICEYE-X36, remained nearby for an extended period, and then began moving away.”

US military officials and independent analysts have tracked Kosmos 2612 since its April launch on a Soyuz rocket from a spaceport in northern Russia. Within weeks, it became apparent that at least four of the six satellites from that launch were stalking ICEYE-X36 after they adjusted orbits to line up with the orbit of the ICEYE spacecraft.

Russia’s modus operandi

The situation remained stable until last week, when Kosmos 2612 began rapidly moving toward ICEYE-X36. By Friday, Kosmos 2612 was holding station 2 to 3 kilometers away before shifting positions ahead of and behind the ICEYE satellite, LeoLabs said. The satellites were within 500 meters (1,640 feet) of one another over the weekend, and “likely quite a bit closer than that,” said Adam Marsh, LeoLabs’ vice president of technical solutions.

LeoLabs operates a global network of radars to track objects as small as 2 centimeters, about the size of a marble, in low-Earth orbit. The proximity of Kosmos 2612 and ICEYE-X36 “occasionally made it difficult to distinguish the two spacecraft independently,” LeoLabs said.

“This was not a routine conjunction or ‘fly by,’” LeoLabs said. “The sequence included a controlled approach, changes in relative position, close-proximity loitering, additional small maneuvers, and a controlled departure. The behavior is consistent with sophisticated rendezvous and proximity operations (RPO).”

Satellites often fly near one another in orbit, usually by happenstance and at high closing velocities. Russia has previously deployed satellites in orbits close to the US government’s most sophisticated and secret spy satellites. The difference this time is that Russia’s target was a commercial satellite. Kosmos 2612 got much closer to ICEYE-X36, then stayed a while. The deliberate nature of the Russian maneuvers makes this weekend’s event “strategically important,” LeoLabs said.

“To my knowledge, this is the first LEO rendezvous of two active satellites where the owner of one of the sats (satellites) did not give approval,” Jonathan McDowell, an astrophysicist who tracks global launch and satellite activity, wrote on X.

“There are parallels that have happened in geosynchronous orbit, but they’re not even close to the same as this,” Marsh told Ars. “As far as this kind of event, rendezvousing in, staying there for a few days, and getting very, very close in low-Earth orbit, this is the first time we’ve ever seen this without consent. We’ve seen them test it with their own satellites before, but not like this.”

As of Monday, Kosmos 2612 is moving away from the ICEYE satellite at a relative velocity of about 10 mph (17 kilometers per hour), according to Marsh.

ICEYE is a Finnish company with a fleet of high-resolution radar imaging satellites capable of resolving features on Earth’s surface through cloud cover or darkness, which inhibit conventional optical reconnaissance satellites. The company has launched 80 satellites to date, and four more ICEYE satellites are set to launch this week on a SpaceX rideshare mission.

The company’s US subsidiary, ICEYE US, owns the ICEYE-X36 satellite. ICEYE satellites provide imagery to numerous military users, including Ukraine, which has used ICEYE’s “near-real-time space-based intelligence” since the Russian invasion in 2022. A Russian government official in 2022 said civilian satellites supporting Ukraine’s military are a “legitimate target.”

Taking out a single satellite in a constellation of dozens would have little effect on ICEYE’s capacity to support its customers, which also include the US military and several European defense ministries.

“We are aware of the situation and tracking it closely,” an ICEYE US spokesperson told Ars. “Our constellation architecture is designed for continuity and resilience.”

Short time-lapse of part of this morning’s first pass of ICEYE-X36 (59103) and COSMOS 2612 (68762) over South America under partly cloudy skies. https://t.co/t8RhwmKcV4

— s2a systems (@s2a_systems) October 18, 2026

Gen. Stephen Whiting, head of US Space Command, said in April that it was “evident” that Russia is operationalizing anti-satellite weapons. US government leaks have also suggested Russia is eyeing the placement of a nuclear weapon in orbit. The US military disclosed last month that it, too, has placed weapons in space, without elaborating.

There were no reports of physical damage to the ICEYE-X36 satellite by the time Kosmos 2612 started its retreat Sunday. But getting so close to a US-owned satellite with military utility was a provocation, said retired Lt. Gen. John Shaw, a former deputy commander of US Space Command.

“So far, the best interpretation of the Russian activity is clear messaging that they will intentionally conduct aggressive activity near platforms they perceive as actual or potential threats to their interests,” Shaw said. “A broader point is the acknowledgment this activity in the space domain is not at all different from what we often see Russia conduct in the other domains—close-in aggressive and provocative behavior.”

Russian Air Force aircraft routinely fly in a buffer zone near US and Canadian airspace, and fighter jets downed a US military drone over the Black Sea in 2023. “If the Russians were willing to do this to an unmanned US military platform, it would seem their threshold for attacking an ‘unmanned’ commercial space platform cannot be too different,” Shaw said.