Old Nuclear-Powered Soviet Satellite Acts Up

The Soviet Union placed a series of nuclear-powered, radar-equipped ocean reconnaissance satellites, known as RORSATs in the west, into Earth orbit beginning in 1967. Employing powerful radars and working in pairs, these spacecraft kept an eye on U.S. ships for Soviet naval forces. Image (Image credit: Smithsonian/DIA)

Video- The Fiery Demise of Europe's Jules Verne Spacecraft
The Sky isFalling: The Most Memorable Space Debris That Fell to Earth
Havoc in theHeavens: Soviet-Era Satellite's Leaky Reactor's Lethal Legacy

Leonard David has beenreporting on the space industry for more than four decades. He is pasteditor-in-chief of the National Space Society's Ad Astra and Space Worldmagazines and has written for SPACE.com since 1999.

Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: community@space.com.

Leonard David is an award-winning space journalist who has been reporting on space activities for more than 50 years. Currently writing as Space.com's Space Insider Columnist among his other projects, Leonard has authored numerous books on space exploration, Mars missions and more, with his latest being "Moon Rush: The New Space Race" published in 2019 by National Geographic. He also wrote "Mars: Our Future on the Red Planet" released in 2016 by National Geographic. Leonard has served as a correspondent for SpaceNews, Scientific American and Aerospace America for the AIAA. He has received many awards, including the first Ordway Award for Sustained Excellence in Spaceflight History in 2015 at the AAS Wernher von Braun Memorial Symposium. You can find out Leonard's latest project at his website and on Twitter.

More about spaceflight

US and UK militaries pick Rocket Lab's HASTE launcher to help test hypersonic tech

Minotaur 4 rocket, repurposed from intercontinental ballistic missile, launches secret US spy satellites to orbit from California

It's always a pleasure to meet a new Lego Star Wars set, as Jango Fett’s Firespray-Class Starship drops in for Star Wars Day

See more latest

Get the Space.com Newsletter