SatTrackCam Leiden (b)log

THE SECRET SPIES IN THE SKY - Imagery, Data Analysis, and Discussions relating to Military Space

SatTrackCam Leiden (Cospar 4353) is a satellite tracking station located at Leiden, the Netherlands. The tracking focus is on classified objects - i.e. "spy satellites". With a camera, accurate positional measurements on satellites of interest are obtained in order to determine their orbits. Orbital behaviour is analysed. This blog analyses Missile tests too.

Thursday, 10 October 2024

X-37B Spaceplane OTV 7 to lower orbit by aerobraking

X-37B OTV 7 near apogee imaged by the author on 3 October 2024. Click to enlarge It looks like the time on orbit is about to end for missi...

Wednesday, 25 September 2024

A Chinese ICBM test launch at full range, into the central Pacific, on September 25

click image to enlarge click image to enlarge In a surprise move, China conducted a (for them) unusual ICBM test launch on September 25, 2...

Saturday, 21 September 2024

The Russian SIGINT satellite LUCH (OLYMP-K) 2 has moved again

LUCH (OLYMP) 2 position change. Click image to enlarge Luch (OLYMP) 2 (2023-031A), the second Russian OLYMP-K/LUCH 5X SIGINT satellite i...

Saturday, 14 September 2024

The North Korean satellite Malligyong-1 has manoeuvered again

click map to enlarge At the end of the first week of September , the North Korean military reconnaissance satellite Malligyong-1 (2023-179A...

Monday, 2 September 2024

ACS 3 appears to be tumbling or gyrating

(this post was lightly editted and extended after initial posting) In a previous post I reported my first post-sail-deployment observatio...

Sunday, 1 September 2024

The Advanced Composite Solar Sail System 3 (ACS 3) observed after sail deployment [UPDATED]

ACS 3 on 29 August 2024. Click to enlarge On April 23, 2024, Rocketlabs launched an Electron rocket for NASA carrying ACS 3 (2024-077B) ,...

Sunday, 18 August 2024

More X-37B spaceplane OTV 7 observations

OTV 7 imaged on August 11. Click image to enlarge In a previous blogpost I wrote about recovering the X-37B Spaceplane OTV 7 (2023-210A) o...

Sunday, 4 August 2024

Recovery of the X-37B spaceplane OTV 7

click to enlarge The classified US Space Force X-37B spaceplane OTV 7 (2023-210A) was launched on 29 December 2023, in an unusual Highly ...

Sunday, 7 July 2024

The Russian SIGINT satellite LUCH (OLYMP) 2 has arrived at its new destination, next to THOR 7

LUCH (OLYMP) 2 imaged at its new location on July 6. Click image to enlarge In a previous blogpost I signalled that the Russian military ...

Friday, 28 June 2024

LUCH (OLYMP) 2 is on the move again [UPDATED]

Image from June 27, 2024. Click to enlarge [ UPDATED on 5 July 2024 ] The Russian military geosynchronous SIGINT satellite LUCH (OLYMP)...

Sunday, 23 June 2024

The North Korean satellite Malligyong-1 raised its orbit again early June

click diagram to enlarge Early February 2024, the North Korean satellite Malligyong-1 (2023-179A) made a series of orbital raising manoeu...

Wednesday, 12 June 2024

The Chinese robotic Space Plane 3 and Object G: proximity operations [MULTIPLE UPDATES]

(blogpost updated on June 6, June 14, June 17 and June 23 , 2024. Last update at bottom) The video above shows 2023-195A , the third miss...

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About the Author

SatTrackCam Leiden: Dutch, 54, Lecturer in optical Space Situational Awareness at Delft Technical University, the Netherlands. Former stone age archaeologist (PhD). Also a meteoriticist and asteroid discoverer. As an invited expert I advised members of Dutch Parliament about military satellite systems and their locations during a 2016 foreign affairs committee hearing about the MH17 disaster.
Asteroid (183294) Langbroek was named after me. In 2012, I received the Dr. J. van der Bilt Prize of the Royal Dutch Astronomy Association (KNVWS) for my work on meteors, asteroids and satellites. Opinions expressed on this blog are entirely my own, not those of my employer.
You can find me on Twitter via @Marco_Langbroek

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