Cosmos 2612's close approach to ICEYE X36 alarms Thomas DiNanno
Last October, a Russian military satellite (Cosmos 2612) got uncomfortably close to ICEYE's X36, a commercial satellite that supplies radar imagery to western governments and military organizations, including Ukraine.
Thomas DiNanno, US under secretary of State, called the move "consistent with on-orbit weapons operations" in a post on X, raising eyebrows about what Russia might be up to.
This was one of the closest run-ins between Russian and Western satellites so far.
Other Russian satellites approach ICEYE X37
This wasn't a one-off; analysts say Cosmos 2612's maneuver looked more like practice for an attack than routine business.
To make things even more tense, other Russian satellites have started moving near another ICEYE satellite, X37.
With ICEYE now shifting X36 around for safety, it's clear that commercial space tech is caught in the middle of rising global tensions, and keeping these assets safe is only getting harder.