Cosmos 2543 inspector
Russia's Cosmos 2543 deploys what US Space Command will publicly describe as a co-orbital inspector — and an apparent kinetic projectile test. The line between inspection and interception, in orbit, is short.
A working catalogue entry, kept current. Each paragraph is drawn from the publicly documented record.
On 15 July 2020 US Space Command publicly accuses Russia of testing a co-orbital anti-satellite weapon when Cosmos 2543 — itself deployed earlier from Cosmos 2542 — releases an apparent kinetic projectile in low Earth orbit. London joins the public condemnation within hours.
The episode is the first western confirmation that Russia is operationalising a co-orbital interceptor capability in addition to its known direct-ascent ASATs. The line between an inspection satellite and an interceptor, on the orbital telemetry alone, is genuinely short — which is precisely why every responsible operator now plans on the assumption that any close approach by an unknown spacecraft could be either.
Each entry is publicly documented. Have a correction or a stronger source? Send it to the editorial team via the contact form.
