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<\/div>Tumbler Dot Ru<\/h2>
A top-secret Russian satellite, which US officials have linked to the country's nuclear anti-satellite weapons program, is spinning out of control.<\/p>
As Reuters<\/em> reports<\/a>, the spacecraft — called Cosmos 2553 — appears to no longer be in service, indicating a major setback for the country's efforts to develop space weapons.<\/p> The satellite has been orbiting around 1,242 miles above the planet, inside a radiation-heavy band that other spacecraft tend to avoid. Satellite tracker LeoLabs told the outlet that Doppler radar measurements indicated Cosmos 2553 was moving erratically and possibly tumbling.<\/p> \"This observation strongly suggests the satellite is no longer operational,\" the think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies wrote in an assessment last week.<\/p> Last year, Russia denied<\/a> US officials' claims<\/a> that Cosmos 2553 was part of a greater effort to develop a nuclear weapon capable of destroying entire satellite constellations.<\/p> Cosmos 2553's exact purpose remains murky at best. A spokesperson for the US Space Command told Reuters<\/em> that Russia's stated goal of testing instruments in a high-radiation environment was inconsistent \"with its characteristics.\"<\/p> \"This inconsistency, paired with a demonstrated willingness to target US and Allied on-orbit objects, increases the risk of misperception and escalation,\" the spokesperson added.<\/p> While we still don't know what exactly Russia's mysterious satellite is doing over a thousand miles above the Earth's surface, its erratic movements could indicate yet another black eye for Russia's troubled space program, as well as a strange inflection point in efforts to militarize space.<\/p> Our planet's orbit is becoming an increasingly congested domain for supremacy<\/a>, with several superpowers, including Russia and China, working on anti-satellite weapons that could give them the ability to plunge adversaries into darkness.<\/p> Case in point, Russia conducted an unexpected anti-satellite (ASAT) test<\/a> in 2021, drawing the ire of US officials. At the time, a missile smashed into a derelict Russian satellite, creating a massive debris field that threatened the lives<\/a> of its own cosmonauts on board the International Space Station.<\/p> More on anti-satellite tech:<\/strong> US Military Alarmed by Russian Nuclear Weapon Platform in Orbit<\/a><\/em><\/p> The post Russian Nuclear Military Satellite Spinning Out of Control<\/a> appeared first on Futurism<\/a>.<\/p> See more here: Tumbler Dot Ru A top-secret Russian satellite, which US officials have linked to the country's nuclear anti-satellite weapons program, is spinning out of control. As Reuters reports , the spacecraft \u2014 called Cosmos 2553 \u2014 appears to no longer be in service, indicating a major setback for the country's efforts to develop space weapons Continue reading Nuke Bag<\/h2>
Russian Nuclear Military Satellite Spinning Out of Control<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"