{
  "id": 17863227,
  "title": "Russian space startups may be passing off Chinese satellite imagery as their own, researcher finds",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/02/russian-space-startups-may-be-passing-off-chinese-satellite-imagery",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-11-02T22:01:53.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Meduza (English)",
    "slug": "meduza-english",
    "url": "https://meduza.io/en/feature/2026/11/03/russian-space-startups-may-be-passing-off-chinese-satellite-imagery-as-their-own-researcher-finds"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Russian space startups may be falsely presenting Chinese satellite imagery as their own, according to a researcher who found the practice. Bart Hendrickx, an expert on Russia’s space program, discovered this in his article published in The Space Review. He explained how Chinese satellites have been mislabeled as Russian, focusing on a specific type of Earth observation satellite known as radar satellites or SAR satellites. While most imaging satellites use digital cameras to capture visible or infrared light, radar satellites use radio signals to see through clouds and at night. Russia currently possesses only 15 civilian Earth observation satellites compared to the United States' 50-plus. The two radar satellites in Russia’s fleet are Kondor-FKA-1 and Kondor-FKA. However, there is no information about military satellites like the Pion-NKS radar satellite, developed for the Russian Navy, or privately-owned satellites like “Russian Starlink.” In 2025, Bakanov revealed that private satellites would make up 90% of Russia’s civilian fleet by 2030. One private venture supplying data to the state is Bureau 1440’s “Russian Starlink” constellation, while Geoscan and Sputnix are also developing Earth observation spacecraft. A new radar satellite called Oculus was developed by Sputnix Novy Kosmos, founded in 2021 by Anton Alekseyev, a former adviser to Rostov’s governor. The company claimed Oculus would cost less than 1 billion rubles, with 80% of components being Russian-made. However, in 2026, it began operating three years ahead of schedule, despite no launch data being released. Hendrickx discovered orbital parameters and specifications for Oculus-1 and Oculus-2 in a user manual on Novy Kosmos' website, which didn't match any known Russian launches. He then compared these parameters with Chinese radar satellites, finding Oculus-1's orbit to be nearly identical to that of Taijing-4-03, a Chinese satellite launched by MinoSpace in 2024.",
  "summary": "Russian space companies are selling Chinese satellite imagery as images from their own spacecraft. Bart Hendrickx, a researcher who studies Russia’s space program, uncovered the practice and published his findings in The Space Review. Meduza explains how he discovered it and whether Chinese satellites have been passed off as Russian before.",
  "key_points": [
    "Bart Hendrickx found Russian startups mislabeling Chinese satellite imagery as Russian.",
    "Oculus-1's orbit nearly identical to Chinese satellite Taijing-4-03.",
    "Russia has only 15 civilian Earth observation satellites compared to US's 50+."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}