Russia has a sustained pattern of harassing US national security space satellites: DIA

By Mike Brest

Published October 27, 2026 8:00pm ET

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Russia has a sustained pattern of harassing US national security space satellites: DIA — A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying 27 Starlink satellites lifts off from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, Oct. 27, 2026. Guardians and Airmen assigned to Space Launch Delta 30 supported the launch by providing range capabilities that help ensure assured access to space from the West Coast’s premier spaceport and test range. The mission marked the 72nd launch supported from Vandenberg in 2026, surpassing the installation’s 2025 total with more than two months remaining in the year. Every launch approved by the installation’s range is designated by the federal government to advance economic growth and achieve critical national space objectives, reinforcing the Central Coast’s role as a global gateway to space. (U.S. Space Force photo by Staff Sgt. Daekwon Stith)

A Russian military satellite that got dangerously close to a U.S.-registered one earlier this month is the latest in a string of similar incidents, according to a new report from the Defense Intelligence Agency.

The Russian satellite, Cosmos 2612, spent more than two weeks traveling toward ICEYE-X36, a radar satellite the American arm of the Finnish company ICEYE operates, and which supplies imagery to Ukraine’s military.

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Defense Department of Defense (Department of War) Military National Security Russia Space