US spook-sat buzzed the International Space Station

For a little while earlier this month, astronauts on the International Space Station had a spooky companion: a spy satellite that circled just outside its “danger zone”. Dutch satellite-watcher Marco Langbroek (whose day job is at Leiden University) analysed the orbit of USA 276, a spy satellite owned by the US National Reconnaissance Office and hoisted aboard the May 1 SpaceX mission. It's something of a vindication for the (now) amateur astronomer, since in late May he speculated that a close approach was feasible. More

(Source: The Register - Jun 9)