Object 2014-28E
A small, unannounced object launched with three Russian satellites began changing its orbit and drawing close to other objects in space.
What was reported
In May 2014 Russia launched three communications satellites. Trackers soon noticed a fourth object, catalogued as 2014-28E, which had been listed as debris. Over the following months it fired its engines and changed its orbit several times, and passed close to the spent rocket stage that had launched it.
Without any official word about what it was for, newspapers called it a possible 'satellite killer', and amateurs and militaries kept watching it.
Explanations offered
Russia later registered it as Kosmos 2499 and said it was an experimental satellite. Most analysts think it was testing how one spacecraft can approach and inspect another, a technology that can be used for repairs or for military purposes. Its exact mission has never been made public.
- When
- From May 2014
- Where
- In orbit, tracked from the ground
- Witnesses
- Amateur satellite trackers and military space surveillance
- Status
- Purpose unknown
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