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Low-orbit satellites, such as USA-326, are used for surveillance because cameras need to be as close to the ground as possible (Photo: European Space Agency)

Feature

Kosmos-2558: Russia's killer satellite that could trigger Article 5

Low-orbit satellites, such as USA-326, are used for surveillance because cameras need to be as close to the ground as possible (Photo: European Space Agency)

Two blips of light in the night sky, whizzing around the globe every 90 minutes, could be where Russia opts to clash with Nato over the Ukraine war.

The first blip you see, if you look up at the right place and time even with a naked eye, is an American spy satellite called USA-326, launched on 2 February into an orbit some 500km above the earth and likely capable of taking images as detailed as legible car number plates.

The second blip, which follows anything from a few seconds...

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Author Bio

Andrew Rettman is EUobserver's foreign editor, writing about foreign and security issues since 2005. He is Polish, but grew up in the UK, and lives in Brussels. He has also written for The Guardian, The Times of London, and Intelligence Online.

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