Russian Kosmos 2612 stalked US imaging satellite ICEYE-X36 in first-known unsanctioned rendezvous
A Russian military spacecraft closed from hundreds of kilometers to extreme proximity with a commercial satellite, signaling a new orbital threat to private assets.
LeoLabs, a commercial orbital intelligence company, detected Russian military satellite Kosmos 2612 conducting a deliberate, unsanctioned rendezvous with US-operated commercial imaging satellite ICEYE-X36 in low-Earth orbit. The encounter marks the first known example of an unsanctioned orbital meeting, raising urgent questions about the safety, legal status, and commercial viability of private satellites in contested space.
Orbital intelligence firm LeoLabs says a Russian military satellite maneuvered into "extreme proximity" with a commercial Earth-imaging satellite in the first known example of an unsanctioned rendezvous in low-Earth orbit. The spacecraft, Kosmos 2612, "conducted a deliberate series of maneuvers toward ICEYE-X36, a US-operated commercial imaging satellite," according to LeoLabs. "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."
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