Russia's COSMOS sats perform a 3-metre orbital pass, sparking space-surveillance concerns
Two Russian military satellites, COSMOS 2581 and COSMOS 2583, came within about three metres of each other during a proximity manoeuvre in low Earth orbit (around 585 kilometres altitude), a complex pass tracked by COMSPOC and described as sophisticated. The event, linked to Russia’s inspector-satellite program, highlights risks from space debris and potential collisions in crowded orbits, with experts noting such precise, non-cooperative passes are impressive but not unprecedented and warning that debris could trigger cascading collisions (Kessler syndrome). Russia has not disclosed the satellites’ exact purpose; reports also mention a sub-satellite dubbed Object F.