What is Putin doing in space? Secretive Russian ‘killer satellite' detected launching mystery probe near US spacecraft
Kosmos-2558 is a Russian military satellite that is currently on an orbital path which is suspiciously close to USA-326 - an American spy satellite.
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Kosmos-2558 as seen on June 28
Credit: TU Delft
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Just 16 seconds later, a new flying object called Object C can be seen moving in the same direction but on a different orbit
Credit: TU Delft
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Russians launched Cosmos-2576 on a Soyuz-2.1b carrier rocket from Russia's Plesetsk Cosmodrome, some 497 miles north of Moscow
Credit: East2West
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The 14F150 Nivelir-type satellite was deployed into a Sun-Synchronous Orbit (SSO) - and has presumably been stalking the US space asset since 2022.
It is believed to have the capacity to constantly monitor enemy spy satellites and potentially shoot them down if needed.
Space program researchers have now detected a new object that appeared to have separated from the Russian inspector satellite on June 26.
The new flying object, named 2025-089C or simply Object C, appeared to be a subsatellite that was launched by Kosmos-2558.
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It was filmed on 28 June 2025 from Leiden, the Netherlands, using a powerful astronomy camera.
The clip shows Kosmos 2558 passing through the frame.
Just 16 seconds later, Object C can be seen moving in the same direction but on a different orbit.
It is believed that Object C is a highly manoeuvrable sub-satellite with onboard high-speed kinetic anti-satellite weapons.
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Most read in The US Sun
Two earlier Russian satellites of the same type, Kosmos-2519 and 2542, also released subsatellites, which were designated Cosmos-2521 and 2543.
Bart Hendrickx, a long-time space researcher and Russian space program expert, wrote in his blog: "Both of those [Russian] satellites showed significant manoeuvring capability and each fired a high-speed projectile that was interpreted by the Pentagon as an anti-satellite weapon.
Billionaire battle goes interstellar as Musk v Bezos ignites 21st-century space race - who will win?
"This happened when they were flying in the vicinity of other Russian satellites."
Last year, Putin launched a terrifying weapon system into space capable of killing other satellites.
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The Pentagon said that the
The Russian space object believed to be Cosmos-2576 was launched on May 16 on a Soyuz-2.1b carrier rocket from Russia's Plesetsk Cosmodrome, some 497 miles north of
It is now following American spy satellite USA 314, operated by the US National Reconnaissance Office.
An unofficial Russian source claimed the launch carried a "secret military device".
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While it was previously reported as a Russian space satellite, the US has now warned it could be a counter-space weapon capable of attacking other such tech.
Pentagon spokesman Brig Gen Pat Ryder said: "Russia launched a satellite into low Earth orbit that we assess is likely a counter-space weapon.
Terrifying space weapons of the future
Rods from God
A strange but utterly terrifying weapon has been dubbed 'rods from the God' and is based on the concept of creating man-made meteorites that can be guided towards the enemy.
Instead of using rocks, rods the size of telephone poles are deployed.
These would be made out of tungsten — a rare metal that can stand the intense heat generated by entering Earth's atmosphere.
One satellite fires the rods towards the Earth's atmosphere while the other steers them to a target on the ground.
Reaching speeds of 7000mph they hit the ground with the force of a small nuclear weapon — but crucially creating no radiation fall out.
As bizarre as it sounds, a US Congressional report recently revealed the military has been pushing ahead with the kinetic space weapons.
Molten metal cannons
This intriguing idea is being developed by the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).
It is called the Magneto Hydrodynamic Explosive Munition or MAHEM.
This game changing rail-gun can fire a jet of molten metal, hurled through space at several hundred miles per second by the most powerful electromagnets ever built.
The molten metal can then morph into an aerodynamic slug during flight and pierce through another spacecraft or satellite and a munition explodes inside.
Space force ships
Already the United States is powering head with its spacecraft, although China is busy developing one of their own.
The top-secret American XS-1 is under development by DARPA.
It can travel ten times the speed of sound and launch missiles.
Meanwhile an unmanned craft is currently being developed in the China Aerodynamics Research and Development Centre in Mianyang, Sichuan province, which is also known as Base 29.
"It was deployed into the same orbit as a US government satellite and assessments further indicate characteristics resembling previously deployed counter space payloads from 2019 and 2022."
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"We will continue to monitor the situation ... we have a responsibility to be ready to protect and defend the space domain and ensure continuous and uninterrupted support to the joint and combined force."
Russia's Roskosmos state space agency said the launch was "in the interests of the defence ministry of the Russian Federation".
In 2023, US intelligence chiefs warned that
that would destroy satellites in a
.
Read more on the Irish Sun
Military
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Russia is feared to be planning to use anti-satellite nuclear weapons in orbit
Credit: Getty - Contributor
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The Irish Sun
3 days ago
- The Irish Sun
What is Putin doing in space? Secretive Russian ‘killer satellite' detected launching mystery probe near US spacecraft
A SECRETIVE Russian "killer satellite" deployed in space was detected launching another mysterious flying object near a US spacecraft. Kosmos-2558 is a Russian military satellite that is currently on an orbital path which is suspiciously close to USA-326 - an American spy satellite. Advertisement 5 Kosmos-2558 as seen on June 28 Credit: TU Delft 5 Just 16 seconds later, a new flying object called Object C can be seen moving in the same direction but on a different orbit Credit: TU Delft 5 Russians launched Cosmos-2576 on a Soyuz-2.1b carrier rocket from Russia's Plesetsk Cosmodrome, some 497 miles north of Moscow Credit: East2West 5 The 14F150 Nivelir-type satellite was deployed into a Sun-Synchronous Orbit (SSO) - and has presumably been stalking the US space asset since 2022. It is believed to have the capacity to constantly monitor enemy spy satellites and potentially shoot them down if needed. Space program researchers have now detected a new object that appeared to have separated from the Russian inspector satellite on June 26. The new flying object, named 2025-089C or simply Object C, appeared to be a subsatellite that was launched by Kosmos-2558. Advertisement It was filmed on 28 June 2025 from Leiden, the Netherlands, using a powerful astronomy camera. The clip shows Kosmos 2558 passing through the frame. Just 16 seconds later, Object C can be seen moving in the same direction but on a different orbit. It is believed that Object C is a highly manoeuvrable sub-satellite with onboard high-speed kinetic anti-satellite weapons. Advertisement Most read in The US Sun Two earlier Russian satellites of the same type, Kosmos-2519 and 2542, also released subsatellites, which were designated Cosmos-2521 and 2543. Bart Hendrickx, a long-time space researcher and Russian space program expert, wrote in his blog: "Both of those [Russian] satellites showed significant manoeuvring capability and each fired a high-speed projectile that was interpreted by the Pentagon as an anti-satellite weapon. Billionaire battle goes interstellar as Musk v Bezos ignites 21st-century space race - who will win? "This happened when they were flying in the vicinity of other Russian satellites." Last year, Putin launched a terrifying weapon system into space capable of killing other satellites. Advertisement The Pentagon said that the The Russian space object believed to be Cosmos-2576 was launched on May 16 on a Soyuz-2.1b carrier rocket from Russia's Plesetsk Cosmodrome, some 497 miles north of It is now following American spy satellite USA 314, operated by the US National Reconnaissance Office. An unofficial Russian source claimed the launch carried a "secret military device". Advertisement While it was previously reported as a Russian space satellite, the US has now warned it could be a counter-space weapon capable of attacking other such tech. Pentagon spokesman Brig Gen Pat Ryder said: "Russia launched a satellite into low Earth orbit that we assess is likely a counter-space weapon. Terrifying space weapons of the future Rods from God A strange but utterly terrifying weapon has been dubbed 'rods from the God' and is based on the concept of creating man-made meteorites that can be guided towards the enemy. Instead of using rocks, rods the size of telephone poles are deployed. These would be made out of tungsten — a rare metal that can stand the intense heat generated by entering Earth's atmosphere. One satellite fires the rods towards the Earth's atmosphere while the other steers them to a target on the ground. Reaching speeds of 7000mph they hit the ground with the force of a small nuclear weapon — but crucially creating no radiation fall out. As bizarre as it sounds, a US Congressional report recently revealed the military has been pushing ahead with the kinetic space weapons. Molten metal cannons This intriguing idea is being developed by the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). It is called the Magneto Hydrodynamic Explosive Munition or MAHEM. This game changing rail-gun can fire a jet of molten metal, hurled through space at several hundred miles per second by the most powerful electromagnets ever built. The molten metal can then morph into an aerodynamic slug during flight and pierce through another spacecraft or satellite and a munition explodes inside. Space force ships Already the United States is powering head with its spacecraft, although China is busy developing one of their own. The top-secret American XS-1 is under development by DARPA. It can travel ten times the speed of sound and launch missiles. Meanwhile an unmanned craft is currently being developed in the China Aerodynamics Research and Development Centre in Mianyang, Sichuan province, which is also known as Base 29. "It was deployed into the same orbit as a US government satellite and assessments further indicate characteristics resembling previously deployed counter space payloads from 2019 and 2022." Advertisement "We will continue to monitor the situation ... we have a responsibility to be ready to protect and defend the space domain and ensure continuous and uninterrupted support to the joint and combined force." Russia's Roskosmos state space agency said the launch was "in the interests of the defence ministry of the Russian Federation". In 2023, US intelligence chiefs warned that that would destroy satellites in a . Read more on the Irish Sun Military Advertisement 5 Russia is feared to be planning to use anti-satellite nuclear weapons in orbit Credit: Getty - Contributor
The Irish Sun
24-06-2025
- The Irish Sun
Never-before-seen dog-sized dinosaur that dodged 32ft flesh-eating giants and killer crocs found after 150 MILLION years
A "NEVER-BEFORE-SEEN" dinosaur that dates back 150 million years has been revealed – and is now on show in the heart of London. The speedy creature would've dodged 32ft flesh-eating giants and even crocodiles to survive in prehistoric 13 A brand new dinosaur has gone on show at the historic Natural History Museum in London Credit: Natural History Museum 13 The speedy creature would've darted around prehistoric Colorado, USA Credit: Natural History Museum / Bob Nicholls 13 At about a metre long, the dinosaur was the size of a very large dog Credit: Sean Keach Officially named Enigmacursor mollyborthwickae , the two-legged sprinter is available for free public viewing at the Natural History Museum from Thursday, June 26. The metre-long creature's fossilised skeleton is remarkably well-preserved, stretching over a metre long (3.2ft) – and about 50cm (1.6ft) tall. Visitors will be able to get up close to the early American creature, which lived alongside iconic dinos like Diplodocus and Stegosaurus. "What we're dealing with here is a new species of dinosaur that comes from Colorado in the western USA," said Professor Paul Barrow, of the Natural History Museum, speaking to The Sun at the grand unveiling. Read more on dinosaurs "It was discovered back in 2021 and we were able to acquire it thanks to an amazingly generous private donation, which allowed us to buy it for the museum." BACK IN TIME The dinosaur itself is believed to have not been fully grown. Normally the upper and lower parts of the creature's back bones would fuse together as the animal aged. But they weren't fully fused together, suggesting that the dino may have been quite young. Most read in Science And it certainly would've been surrounded by "At the time, Colorado would have been a floodplain," said Professor Susannah Maidment, of the Natural History Museum, speaking to The Sun. Walking With Dinosaurs: Official Trailer, BBC "It would have had a series or rivers coming down from high land to the west, and there would have been dinosaurs all over it. "Some of the most famous dinosaurs – thinks like Diplodocus and Camarasaurus and Brachiosaurus. "And so this little dinosaur would have been running around at the feet of those giants." GREEN MACHINE This particular dinosaur was a herbivore, meaning it mostly ate plants. 13 The remarkably preserved fossilised skeleton was found in a quarry Credit: Natural History Museum 13 Scientists have pieced together the fossils to reconstruct the dinosaur Credit: Natural History Museum But because flowering plants hadn't evolved yet, Professor Maidment told us, it "would have just been eating things like cycads and ferns". The dinosaur didn't need to move fast to eat – but it did need speedy legs to avoid being eaten. It lived alongside deadly predators, including "We know it's a very speedy little dinosaur," said Professor Paul Barrow. 13 It was previously thought to be a type of poorly-understood dinosaur called a Nanosaurus Credit: Natural History Museum 13 The official name for the new dinosaur is the Engimacursor mollyborthwickae Credit: Natural History Museum "It has very long hind legs – it walks on its hind legs only. "So its main defence against predators would actually have just been a speedy getaway. "And it's living at the same time as quite a lot of other large predatory dinosaurs. "Probably the most famous of which is a thing called 29 to 32ft ) in length – it's quite common at the time. A timeline of life on Earth Here's a brief history of life on our planet 4.6billion years ago – the origin of Earth 3.8billion years ago – first life appears on Earth 2.1billion years ago – lifeforms made up of multiple cells evolve 1.5billion years ago – eukaryotes, which are cells that contain a nucleus inside of their membranes, emerge 550million years ago – first arthropods evolve 530million years ago – first fish appear 470million years ago – first land plants appear 380million years ago – forests emerge on Earth 370million years ago – first amphibians emerge from the water onto land 320million years ago – earliest reptiles evolve 230million years ago – dinosaurs evolve 200million years ago – mammals appear 150million years ago – earliest birds evolve 130million years ago – first flowering plants 100million years ago – earliest bees 55million years ago – hares and rabbits appear 30million years ago – first cats evolve 20million years ago – great apes evolve 7million years ago –first human ancestors appear 2million years ago – Homo erectus appears 300,000 years ago – Homo sapiens evolves 50,000 years ago – Eurasia and Oceania colonised 40,000 years ago – Neandethal extinction 13 The Sun spoke to Natural History Museum experts Professor Susannah Maidment and Professor Paul Barrett, who discovered the new species Credit: Natural History Museum "But also a lot of speedy predators as well, and also some big crocodiles that could have taken out this guy." DIG IT The creature was first unearthed in 2021 from a commercial quarry. And it was thought to be a Nanosaurus, a "poorly-known" species that was first named in 1870s. The Enigmacursor was acquired from the David Aaron Ltd gallery with support from David and Molly Lowell Borthwick (after whom the dinosaur is now named). 13 The dinosaur would've lived between 145 and 150 million years ago Credit: Natural History Museum 13 It would've lived alongside giants like Diplodocus and Stegosaurus Credit: Natural History Museum And Natural History Museum scientists renamed it after analysing the specimen, confirming it as a species new to science. But there is still a mystery: exactly how fast the nippy little creature could run. "It was a two-legged dinosaur and so it had very small forelimbs actually," Professor Maidment told us. "But we don't really know how fast it would have run at all. "It probably might have been able to just about outrun us – but probably not much faster than that." 13 Analysis of the dinosaur revealed that it belonged to a brand new species Credit: Natural History Museum 13 Visitors can go to see the dinosaur at the museum for free from Thursday, June 26 Credit: Sean Keach 13 Scientists have been able to reconstruct what the dinosaur would've looked like based on its fossils Credit: Natural History Museum
The Irish Sun
24-06-2025
- The Irish Sun
Blockbuster weight loss jabs ‘significantly lower' the risk of dementia
WEIGHT loss jabs may also help ward off dementia, a new study suggests. Researchers found that semaglutide - the active ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy - could "significantly" slash the risk of the brain-robbing disease in people with 1 Weight loss and antidiabetic jabs like Ozempic and Wegovy could have other health benefits Credit: Getty Study leader Professor Rong Xu said: "There is no cure or effective treatment for dementia, so this new study provides real-world evidence for its potential impact on preventing or slowing dementia development among a high risk population." Semaglutide, part of a group of drugs called GLP-1 agonists, was originally invented to treat But trials found it could also cause major weight loss - about 10 to 15 per cent of body weight over 18 months. It triggers fullness hormones in the gut to prevent hunger and Semaglutide has already been found to lower the risk of heart disease, bowel cancer and fertility issues. But researchers at Case Western Reserve School of Medicine in The syndrome occurs when brain cells are damaged and their connections stop working properly. That damage, which worsens over time, impacts Most read in Health It can be caused by various conditions and events, including obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, traumatic brain injury and stroke. Previous research has indicated that 45 per cent of dementia cases could be prevented by addressing these "modifiable risk factors". Feeling Full Naturally: Top 5 Foods That Act Like Weight Loss Jabs The new study, published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, analysed the electronic records of nearly 1.7million American patients with type 2 diabetes over three years. Patients taking semaglutide had a "significantly lower" risk of developing Alzheimer's disease-related dementia compared to those on seven other antidiabetic medications. This included other types of GLP-1R-targeting drugs. The results were more "profound" in women and older adults. Prof Xu said the findings support the idea that semaglutide could prevent dementia. But she cautioned that more research is needed. "Our results indicate that research into semaglutide's use for dementia prevention will need to be further investigated through randomised clinical trials," Prof Xu added. Are you eligible for weight loss jabs on the NHS? By Sam Blanchard, Health Correspondent THEY are arguably the biggest medical breakthrough of recent times. And now, so-called 'fat jabs' are available to many more Brits on the NHS. In what marks the dawn of a new era, GPs have begun prescribing the weight loss jab More than three million people are thought to be eligible for tirzepatide - the active drug in Mounjaro - the strongest jab on the market. Health chiefs hope it will turn the tide on England's obesity crisis which has Injections including Ozempic and Wegovy have previously only been available for type 2 diabetes or through specialist slimming clinics. Family doctors will now be encouraged to prescribe them in a bid to get more people on the meds. Experts hope widespread use will slash work sick days and boost the economy, while reducing rates of cancer, heart disease and dementia. But demand for the drugs is already huge and NHS clinics cannot dish them out fast enough. Who is eligible in the new rollout? The new rollout allows GPs to prescribe tirzepatide for weight loss, starting with those patients whose weight places them at greatest health risk. Top of the list will be those with a A BMI of 40 is roughly equal to weighing 16st (102kg) for an average height 5'3' woman, or 19st 6lbs (123kg) for an average 5'9' man. Weight-related conditions include Patients will likely be expected to have tried diet and exercise first before being offered a jab. Many are likely to miss out, as some 13.5million adults in England are obese but only 3.4million are estimated to be eligible in the rollout. Professor Kamila Hawthorne, chair of the Royal College of GPs, said: 'Currently only patients who meet certain criteria - those who could benefit most - are eligible to be prescribed weight loss drugs on the NHS, and GPs will also need to follow local guidelines when prescribing. 'If your practice advises you that they won't be able to provide weight loss medication, these will likely be the reasons why. 'We appreciate the idea of weight loss medication is an attractive prospect to many patients - and they do have a lot of potential benefits for patients and may be a valuable tool as we try to tackle obesity at a national level – but it's important these medications aren't seen as a silver bullet. 'Weight loss drugs do not come without risk, they can cause side effects which range in seriousness, and they won't be suitable for everyone. 'It's important we don't lose sight of the role lifestyle factors play in achieving a healthy weight. 'The roll out of weight loss medications as a treatment for obesity must not come at the expense of other weight loss services.' If you are eligible but your GP denies you a prescription, you may be able to ask for a referral to specialist weight management services. Known as tier 2 and tier 3 weight management services, they may prescribe the jabs after other weight loss attempts. Many people are expected to find it easier to go private, with the injections widely available from high street pharmacies like Boots, Superdrug, and even Asda. There are also numerous online pharmacies offering the drugs. Buying the drugs online might seem like the faster fix – but buyer beware. Slimming success stories are everywhere but so, too, are tales of horror. Many patients have been duped by dodgy sellers, suffered severe Bargain prices, easy tick-box applications, or prescriptions with no follow-up, should all be red flags to online shoppers.
