A secret Russian satellite has broken apart in orbit, creating a cloud of debris that could last a c

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

century

A mysterious Russian satellite with a shady mission has broken apart in Earth's orbit, creating a hazardous cloud of debris zipping around the planet and menacing other satellites, US Space Force announced.

The 18th Space Defense Squadron said on Twitter Monday that it had confirmed a satellite called Kosmos 2499 had broken apart into 85 pieces.

Link to tweet

Previous collisions and satellite break-ups have created far larger and more hazardous debris fields than this.

But the pieces of Kosmos 2499 are orbiting at an altitude of about 745 miles — so high that they'll probably be there for a century or longer before Earth's atmosphere drags them down and burns them up, according to NASA.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/other/a-secret-russian-satellite-has-broken-apart-in-orbit-creating-a-cloud-of-debris-that-could-last-a-century/ar-AA17ggWc

Not such a secret any more.

[lpbk2713]

1. I wonder, are their satellites made by the same people who make their tanks?

Fully guaranteed for the first hundred yards or the first fifteen minutes after they go out the factory door.

Whichever comes first.

[maxrandb]

4. I think they buy them from Kim Jon Ung

[purr-rat beauty]

2. At some point...

...all the space debris and satellites will prove earth's orbit uninhabitable and of any use for modern communication and other applications. It's already a mess!

This will become a massive problem for all of us.

[Talitha]

3. I've spotted quite a few Cosmos rockets during the past few decades.

They're easy to look up on the satellite database of Heavens-Above.com as long as you take note of the time, direction, and location. Here's the info on Cosmos 2499 - note the 'Category unknown' line... don't believe I've ever seen that before.


39765, 2014-028E
Cosmos 2499 - Satellite Information

Designation
Spacetrack catalog number 39765
COSPAR ID 2014-028-E
Name in Spacetrack catalog COSMOS 2499

Satellite Details
Orbit 1,151 x 1,508 km, 82.5°
Category unknown
Country/organisation of origin Russia
Intrinsic brightness (Magnitude) ?

Launch Date (UTC) 23 May 2014 05:27
Launch site Plesetsk, Russia
Launch vehicle Rokot