As a number of recent developments came to confirm, Slingshot Aerospace reported yet another incident an ominous maneuver by a Russian spy satellite operating in the geostationary orbit. Known as Luch, or Olymp 2, this satellite has been in the habit since 2023 of moving very close to several geo spacecraft. Having changed its position for more than once, it received the nickname ‘interloper,’ just like its first edition, Luch, or Olymp.
Detailed Satellite Tracking: Slingshot Analyzes
Slingshot Aerospace operates an object profiling machine learning engine that has been tracking Luch 2’s movements. On June 23, the satellite conducted a major maneuver, after which Slingshot decided to increase its monitoring on the area surrounding it. The satellite drifts near geosynchronous orbit, and Slingshot’s augmented monitoring is designed to determine the intricacies of the maneuver among the surrounding spacecraft.
The Predicted Close Encounter of US Satellite
Slingshot’s software calculations suggest that the Russian satellite will pass very close to a US satellite in the GEO, according to a social media post by Slingshot Aerospace. Luch 2 is expected to pass very close to USA Intelsat 1002, Norad ID 28358, at approximately 1 degree W. Since June 23, Luch 2 has been changing orbits and velocity, thereby seeking to relocate/park itself next to the US satellite.
“Luch 2 is planned to conduct another maneuver to prevent its drift close to Intelsat 1002 on June 28 if it behaves as it has previously,” wrote the company in their post on X. Luch 2 was no closer than about 20 km with any communications satellite since operation/input began in March 2023. Slingshot Aerospace on its part, has its eyes locked on Luch 2 and continues to update information on any further manoeuvrers over the coming days.
The development came from Slingshot a few days after a Russian satellite exploded in low Earth orbit, according to a NASA warning, causing a cloud of debris. The explosion meant astronauts on the International Space Station had to seek shelter.
Agatha AI System Introduction
Slingshot Aerospace announced earlier this month that it had developed a new artificial intelligence system, Agatha, for the identification of anomalous spacecraft in large satellite constellations. Slingshot Aerospace has developed an Agatha system in cooperation with the U.S. DARPA.
It trained on over 60 years of simulated constellation data. Agatha applies very modern approaches to data analysis, among them inverse reinforcement learning. The technique makes use of AI who observes behaviors and determines what policies and intentions the objects it keeps track of has. Unlike the traditional tracking systems, with Agatha’s technique in IRL one would move beyond the monitoring of individual maneuvers; rather, how and why the satellites exhibit certain behaviors and what their intentions might be.
Agatha depends on a ‘data-agnostic model’; hence it does not require specific cues when processing large sets of data. Through this design, it can go on detecting anomalous trends as it keeps searching for newer data. Under SLINGSHOT’s PRECOG program, the system was developed starting in March 2023. Results were submitted to DARPA in January 2024.
Implications and Future Monitoring
The recent maneuvers of Luch 2 give rise to a number of questions as to the purpose of their movements. Agatha AI’s ability to predict and analyze satellite behavior may be critical in ensuring the safety and security of satellites that are in orbit. It couldn’t be more important to have sophisticated monitoring systems as space grows more crowded.
Slingshot Aerospace’s tracking and reporting on Luch 2 activities will be critical in understanding and responding to any threats that may arise at geosynchronous orbit. This relationship between Slingshot Aerospace and DARPA underscores the emergent need for creative solutions regarding solving problems associated with space surveillance and security.
The suspicious maneuvers of the Russian spy satellite Luch 2 also set a foreground for the role of cutting-edge AI systems in observing space activities. Slingshot Aerospace’s effort to develop Agatha is, therefore, a giant step into the future with respect to detection and description of irregular behaviors across constellations of satellites. Slingshot will continue to track Luch 2, gaining valuable insights that ensure the safety and security of important space infrastructure.
