Researcher: Russian Space Startups May Be Passing Off Chinese Satellite Imagery as Their Own
Researcher Bart Hendrickx concludes that Russian private firms Novy Kosmos and L5 are presenting radar imagery from apparently Chinese satellites as coming from their own spacecraft. Novy Kosmos changed its user manual after his findings were published.
Russian private space companies Novy Kosmos and L5 are selling Earth observation imagery that, according to independent researcher Bart Hendrickx, who studies Russia's space program, comes from Chinese satellites rather than their own. He published his findings in The Space Review, and the outlet Meduza has summarized them.
What kind of satellites
The satellites in question are radar, or SAR, satellites. Unlike optical ones, they use radio signals reflected off the surface, so they can see at night and through clouds. Russia currently has only 15 civilian Earth observation satellites, against more than 50 in the United States, and only two of them are radar satellites. Because of shortages, the state increasingly turns to private firms. In December 2025, Roscosmos head Dmitry Bakanov said privately owned satellites would make up 90% of Russia's civilian fleet by 2030.
Oculus and the discrepancies
Novy Kosmos, founded in 2021 by Anton Alekseyev, has been developing the Oculus radar satellite. In 2026 it was announced that Oculus-1 had begun operating, and Bakanov reportedly informed Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin personally. Yet neither Roscosmos nor the company has released any details about a launch, and the satellite does not appear in U.S. Space Force catalogs.
Hendrickx found orbital parameters in the company's user manual: an altitude of about 530 km and an inclination of 97.5 degrees. These almost match Taijing-4-03, a satellite launched in 2024 by the Chinese firm MinoSpace. He suspects Oculus-2 is also Chinese, most likely Dongpo-16, though he has not matched it conclusively. After his first article appeared on October 12, Novy Kosmos shortened the manual, removing the identifying data.
Hendrickx believes the startup L5 did the same: the specifications of its Elsat-1 match China's Chaohu-1 exactly.
Military links
It is not known for certain whether the data is used militarily, but Oculus's stated goals include defense. The research firm Kharon found that from 2021 to 2025, Chinese companies launched more than 20 satellites for operators supporting Russia's war in Ukraine, as well as for Iran's armed forces.
