Russia’s “Super Secret” Satellite Turns out to be Metal Junk

Another Russian space project, another spectacular fail.

Cosmos 2553, a supposedly high-tech Russian satellite launched just weeks before Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, is now doing what Russia’s space ambitions do best: spinning out of control — literally.

Touted as a radar satellite for intelligence gathering and a radiation-testing platform to help build nuclear space weapons, Cosmos 2553 has instead turned into a very expensive piece of space junk. Over the past year, it’s been flailing helplessly through orbit, according to radar and optical tracking from LeoLabs and Slingshot Aerospace.

By November, LeoLabs had picked up the first signs of trouble with its global radar network. By December, it wasn’t even a question — Cosmos 2553 was confirmed to be tumbling out of control. The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) didn’t mince words: the satellite looks dead.

Slingshot Aerospace, tracking the satellite since launch, spotted weird brightness changes last May — classic signs of a spacecraft in trouble. While it might have stabilized a bit since then, it’s hardly “mission accomplished.”

U.S. Space Command says it’s seen changes in the satellite’s orbit but, true to form, isn’t saying much more.

The bigger picture? Last year, U.S. officials accused Russia of working on nuclear weapons designed to wipe out entire satellite networks — especially SpaceX’s Starlink, the lifeline for Ukraine’s battlefield communications. Cosmos 2553 was a flashing red warning sign for Washington.

And it’s not just this one hunk of junk. Russia’s got a whole fleet of shady satellites suspected of military or spy roles. With Russia, China, and the U.S. all pouring billions into secretive space tech, the risk of an orbital screw-up — or an outright fight — is skyrocketing.

The U.S. and its allies are racing to track what’s really going on up there, trying to tell friendly satellites from potential threats. And Cosmos 2553? Its actions don’t remotely match Russia’s story about “testing instruments.” Given Russia’s track record of targeting satellites, nobody’s buying it.

Space is getting crowded, chaotic, and dangerous. Cosmos 2553 is just the latest reminder that the next big fight might not happen on Earth — it could happen above it.