Three’s a party: US, China, and now Russia are on the prowl in GEO

三方博弈：美国、中国，如今俄罗斯也开始在地球静止轨道（GEO）巡弋

The world’s leading space powers desperately want to know what the others are up to high above the equator. For more than a decade, the US military has operated a fleet of “inspector” satellites designed to sidle up to other spacecraft in geosynchronous orbit and take pictures. China started launching its satellites for a similar mission in 2018. 全球主要的航天大国都迫切地想要了解其他国家在赤道上空究竟在进行什么活动。十多年来，美国军方一直运营着一支“检查”卫星编队，旨在靠近地球静止轨道（GEO）上的其他航天器并进行拍照。中国也于2018年开始发射执行类似任务的卫星。

Ars has written about these activities in geosynchronous orbit (GEO) before, but the last few months have seen a couple of interesting developments. First, Russia has now joined the fray with the recent arrival of its own suspected inspector (or attack) satellite in GEO. Second, the US Space Force is poised to order more—perhaps many more—reconnaissance satellites of its own to send into the geosynchronous belt. Ars此前曾报道过地球静止轨道（GEO）上的这些活动，但过去几个月出现了一些值得关注的新进展。首先，俄罗斯最近将其疑似检查（或攻击）卫星送入GEO，正式加入了这场博弈。其次，美国太空军准备订购更多——甚至可能是大量——自己的侦察卫星，以部署到地球静止轨道带。

GEO is special. The laws of orbital mechanics mean a satellite in this type of orbit, some 22,000 miles (36,000 kilometers) over the equator, moves around the Earth at the same rate as the planet’s rotation, causing it to hover over the same location. Commercial and military-owned geosynchronous satellites typically spend years in the same location, or slot, to provide communications services to users. GEO非常特殊。根据轨道力学定律，位于赤道上方约22,000英里（36,000公里）处的此类卫星，其绕地运行速度与地球自转速度一致，从而使其能够悬停在同一位置上方。商业和军用地球静止轨道卫星通常会在同一位置（即“槽位”）停留多年，为用户提供通信服务。

Until now, Russia’s spying in geosynchronous orbit has primarily focused on eavesdropping on foreign communications. Russia launched two satellites, Olymp or Luch, to wander around geosynchronous orbit, moving from slot to slot to loiter near Western-owned communications satellites for several months at a time. The goal, according to Western analysts, was to listen in on or potentially jam signals relayed through these satellites, some of which route secure communications for US and NATO military forces. 到目前为止，俄罗斯在地球静止轨道的间谍活动主要集中在窃听外国通信上。俄罗斯发射了两颗名为“奥林匹斯”（Olymp）或“射线”（Luch）的卫星，在地球静止轨道上游荡，从一个槽位移动到另一个槽位，每次在西方拥有的通信卫星附近徘徊数月。据西方分析人士称，其目的是监听或干扰通过这些卫星中继的信号，其中一些卫星负责为美国和北约军队传输安全通信。

The trend today is geared toward reconnaissance and surveillance in GEO. Military forces and intelligence agencies want to know where other satellites are located, what they look like, and what they’re capable of doing. The US military’s Geosynchronous Space Situational Awareness Program (GSSAP) satellites, which began launching in 2014, do exactly this by roaming the geosynchronous belt, using propulsive maneuvers to make slight changes to altitude and inclination to move within a few dozen miles of Chinese and Russian satellites, close enough for optical telescopes to get a good look. 如今的趋势正转向GEO的侦察与监视。军事力量和情报机构希望了解其他卫星的位置、外观以及它们的能力。美国军方的“地球静止轨道空间态势感知计划”（GSSAP）卫星自2014年开始发射，正是通过在地球静止轨道带巡航来执行此任务。它们利用推进机动对高度和倾角进行微调，移动到距离中俄卫星几十英里的范围内，近到足以让光学望远镜进行清晰观测。

The Space Force has often compared the GSSAP satellites to a “neighborhood watch” in geosynchronous orbit. For example, one GSSAP satellite positioned itself near a pair of Chinese spacecraft performing a first-of-its-kind refueling demonstration in geosynchronous orbit last year. China has launched multiple satellites capable of similar maneuvers. One of these satellites, named TJS-10, is currently flying relatively close to a nuclear-hardened US Space Force strategic communications satellite and a US missile warning platform, according to an update this week in the Integrity Flash newsletter published by ISR University. 美国太空军经常将GSSAP卫星比作地球静止轨道上的“社区巡逻队”。例如，去年有一颗GSSAP卫星定位在两颗中国航天器附近，当时它们正在进行地球静止轨道上首次此类在轨加注演示。中国已经发射了多颗具备类似机动能力的卫星。据ISR大学发布的《Integrity Flash》通讯本周更新显示，其中一颗名为“天基系统-10”（TJS-10）的卫星目前正飞行在距离一颗美国太空军抗核加固战略通信卫星和一颗美国导弹预警平台相对较近的位置。

Ready Player Three

玩家三号就位

A new kind of Russian satellite is now in the mix. This satellite, officially known as Kosmos 2589, was launched in June 2025 into a highly elliptical orbit alongside a smaller spacecraft designated Kosmos 2590. The two satellites performed a series of high-altitude rendezvous and proximity operations with one another before Kosmos 2589 began moving toward a more circular geosynchronous orbit, where it arrived in April. 一种新型俄罗斯卫星现已加入其中。这颗卫星正式名称为“宇宙2589号”（Kosmos 2589），于2025年6月与一颗名为“宇宙2590号”的小型航天器一同发射进入高椭圆轨道。这两颗卫星进行了一系列高空交会和近距离操作，随后“宇宙2589号”开始向更圆的地球静止轨道移动，并于4月抵达。

One of the US military’s GSSAP satellites was waiting for it. The US inspector spacecraft is now looping around Kosmos 2589, swinging near the newly arrived Russian satellite twice per day, coming as close as 8 miles (13 kilometers) on May 1, according to data from COMSPOC, a commercial space situational awareness company. 美国军方的一颗GSSAP卫星已经在那里等候。据商业空间态势感知公司COMSPOC的数据显示，这颗美国检查航天器目前正绕着“宇宙2589号”运行，每天两次靠近这颗新抵达的俄罗斯卫星，并在5月1日最近时距离仅为8英里（13公里）。

The exact purpose of Kosmos 2589 remains unclear. Some Western officials suspect it is a higher-altitude version of Russia’s Nivelir anti-satellite system, which has been tested in low-Earth orbit and is now becoming operational. “宇宙2589号”的确切用途尚不清楚。一些西方官员怀疑它是俄罗斯“Nivelir”反卫星系统的高轨道版本，该系统此前已在近地轨道进行过测试，目前正投入使用。

All this cat-and-mouse maneuvering has made the US Space Force prioritize geosynchronous surveillance and reconnaissance. The activity is not unlike the way US and Soviet submarines tailed one another in the Cold War, but instead of running silent and running deep, highly reflective satellites easily stand out against the inky blackness of space. 所有这些猫鼠游戏般的机动使得美国太空军将地球静止轨道的监视与侦察列为优先事项。这种活动与冷战时期美苏潜艇相互跟踪的方式并无二致，但不同于潜艇的静默深潜，高反射率的卫星在漆黑的太空中极易被发现。

“One of the dynamics of the current geosynchronous cat-and-mouse activity is your desired imaging target may try to run away from you, and as it goes away from you, may even turn around, and then get a good look at you,” said retired Lt. Gen. John Shaw, a former deputy commander of US Space Command. “当前地球静止轨道猫鼠活动的一个动态是，你想要成像的目标可能会试图逃离你，而在它远离你的过程中，甚至可能会掉头，反过来仔细观察你，”美国太空司令部前副司令、退役中将约翰·肖（John Shaw）表示。

It is not surprising that US commanders wanted to get a look at Kosmos 2589 as soon as it arrived in GEO, Shaw told Ars. “One of the current tactics each side uses is to try to look at a potential target when it first arrives on orbit,” he said. “It’s sort of like an airplane just coming off the runway, because it’s still trying to orient and get checked out for operations. All of this is visible to amateur astronomers and sky watchers. What we need to do is evolve our own practice to the point where we don’t need that checkout period, and we can start maneuvering immediately. I expect others will do the same.” 肖告诉Ars，美国指挥官希望在“宇宙2589号”抵达GEO后立即对其进行观察并不令人意外。“各方目前使用的策略之一是，在潜在目标刚进入轨道时就尝试对其进行观察，”他说。“这有点像飞机刚离开跑道，因为它还在试图定位并进行操作检查。所有这些对于业余天文学家和观星者来说都是可见的。我们需要做的是改进我们自己的实践，达到不再需要那个检查期的程度，从而能够立即开始机动。我预计其他人也会这样做。”

Fuel limitations on the GSSAP satellites, made by Northrop Grumman, force US commanders to think twice about sending them off to look at every shiny new object that arrives in GEO. 由诺斯罗普·格鲁曼公司制造的GSSAP卫星受限于燃料，这迫使美国指挥官在派遣它们去查看每一个抵达GEO的“闪亮新物体”时必须三思而后行。