Russian military quietly launches new spy probe designed to snoop on other satellites in space

RUSSIA has quietly hurled a top-secret military satellite into orbit. The mysterious probe is designed to scope out other satellites in space, according to government reports. It launched atop a Soyuz rocket on Monday from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome, around 500 miles north of Moscow. Officials provided few details beyond the satellite’s purpose: To aid the work of Russia’s Defence Ministry. It did mention that the probe would track the state of Russian domestic satellites. It was not clear whether other countries’ satellites would also be monitored.

The spacecraft is launched into the target orbit from which the state of domestic satellites can be monitored. The optical equipment of the spacecraft also allows you to take pictures of the Earth’s surface.

The probe’s name was not disclosed by the ministry or the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos). It is functioning normally and is now under the control of the Space Troops of the Aerospace Force. Russian authorities did not give notice of the launch ahead of time. It is not unusual for Moscow to send up satellites without prior notice. Like the US, Russia has an array of satellites designed to give it the edge if a global war were to break out.

Back in September, The Sun revealed that the world’s largest nation had launched a probe designed to spot US missiles from space. It was the third such satellite to be deployed by Russia since 2015 as part of plans to build a network of warhead-tracking space tech. The satellite sailed beyond our atmosphere atop a Soyuz rocket launched from Russia’s Plesetsk Cosmodrome on Thursday. A statement from the Russian Defence Ministry did not identify the top-secret payload.

However, information about the mission’s trajectory released in warning notices to pilots and mariners suggested the satellite was likely the third Tundra missile warning satellite for the Russian military, reported SpaceFlightNow.

Little is known about the Tundra satellite system, as Moscow keeps it tightly under wraps.

It forms a key part of its military’s defense tech and replaces an older missile detection system known as Oko, which Russia inherited from the Soviet Union. Tundra primarily acts as an early warning system so Russian officials can react to potential threats quickly. Each satellite carries infrared telescopes that detect and track heat sources that could be missiles.