THE NEW SPACE RACE: ‘Whatever Russia is testing, it’s sophisticated’: Satellites pass within 3 metres of each other.

Astronomers have observed two Russian military satellites passing within 3 metres (10 feet) of each other in an unexplained manoeuvre.

The COSMOS 2581 and COSMOS 2583 satellites, launched by Russia’s space agency Roscosmos in February 2025, performed the operation last week while orbiting at an altitude of around 585 kilometres.

The incident. which was tracked by US-based space situational awareness firm COMSPOC. has raised concerns about space-based surveillance and orbital collisions .

“This week we observed a complex proximity event involving Russian satellites,” COMSPOC wrote in a post to X, alongside a simulation of the event.

“This wasn’t a coincidental pass – COSMOS 2583 performed several fine manoeuvres to maintain this tight configuration… Whatever Russia is testing, it’s sophisticated.”

Russia has not disclosed the specific purpose of the satellites, though space analysts noted that one of them released a “sub-satellite” referred to as Object F.

They are believed to be part of a program involving “inspector satellites”, designed to test or perform surveillance operations of other spacecraft in orbit.

I’d guess they can do more than just observe.

LATE-STAGE STATISM ALWAYS COMES DOWN TO CONFISCATE EVERYTHING YOU CAN BEFORE THE WHOLE THING COLLAPSES:

SEVEN WAYS WE’RE ALL EQUAL: Thanks to our long-failing public education system, few young Americans know the full story behind the Declaration of Independence, and in particular the meaning of those “inalienable rights,” including the one about all men are equal.

In a high-quality, entertaining 7:22 video produced by the Discovery Institute, host Adam Nieri uses Dr. John West’s superb “Endowed by Our Creator” and other sources to describe the seven fundamental ways in which all men are equal before the law, according to the Founders. Check it out and then share it with the kids, grandkids, neighbor kids, etc. etc.

ANNIHILATION: British voters have spoken in local elections seen as a verdict on Keir Starmer’s leadership.

Britain needs literal annihilation of the people who waged war on it from within, but electoral annihilation would be a good start.

OPEN THREAD: Just do it.

BACK FROM THE WASTELAND: J. Budziszewski has been a University of Texas professor for 45 years, but the J strolling to the lecturn today might well not even recognize the one who first accepted the Austin position.

To understand why, check out Terrell Clemmons’ interview with one of the most intellectually courageous people you may encounter in American academia. The interview first appeared in Science & Culture Today. Here’s a taste of the conversation:

“I had come to think that there couldn’t be any real moral authority for anything, that good and evil were things we made up; I am just a process; I don’t have personal responsibility for my actions; I’m not free. But I loved my wife and children.

“Now consider: love is a commitment of the will to the true good of another person. But I didn’t believe in objective good, I didn’t believe in persons, and I didn’t believe my commitments were in my control. So it wasn’t that I didn’t love them. It was that I couldn’t make sense of this love. That was horrible.”