Key facts
- A Russian military satellite, Kosmos 2612, maneuvered dangerously close to a US-registered commercial satellite.
- The US called the Russian satellite's actions "deliberately reckless" and a violation of safety thresholds.
- Russia's UN envoy stated that US concerns were "unfounded distractions" and that Russian space activity is peaceful.
Russia's UN envoy, Konstantin Vorontsov, stated on Wednesday that all Russian space activity, including the recent maneuvers of the Kosmos 2612 military satellite, is "purely peaceful in character." This assertion follows a close encounter last weekend where Kosmos 2612 approached a US-registered commercial satellite, ICEYE-X36, approximately 550 kilometers above Earth. A US State Department official, Brian Hardesty, described the Russian satellite's actions as "threatening behavior" and "deliberately reckless," potentially consistent with an on-orbit weapons operation that violated safety thresholds. Vorontsov dismissed these concerns as "unfounded distractions" and "absurd accusations."
Vorontsov's statements contrast with his past remarks in 2022, when he suggested that commercial satellites supporting Ukraine could be a "legitimate target for a retaliatory strike." The recent maneuvers by Kosmos 2612, which performed a series of rocket burns to match orbits with ICEYE-X36, have raised alarms given Russia's history of suspected anti-satellite (ASAT) weapons tests. Orbital intelligence company LeoLabs reported that Kosmos 2612 moved within 500 meters of the ICEYE satellite, with some estimates suggesting it closed within tens of meters. The US government has acknowledged possessing space-based weapons, and officials argue that proposals for banning weapons in space are unrealistic and would be violated by proponents.