Secretive Russian Satellite Breaks Apart In Orbit, Creating Debris Cloud

"A secretive Russian satellite launched nearly a decade ago has experienced a "breakup" in
outer space, according to a tweet published by the US Space Force's 18th Space Defense Squadron. 

The Space Force said the Kosmos 2499 spacecraft disintegrated and unleashed a hazardous cloud of debris orbiting the planet. Russia launched a rocket in late 2013, supposedly carrying three military communications satellites into orbit. But it wasn't until space trackers found a fourth and very mysterious spacecraft (Kosmos 2499) that was also released into orbit. 

Zak said the head of Roscosmos in 2014 assured world leaders that Kosmos 2499 wasn't a "killer satellite." Roscosmos never revealed the satellite's mission. " ZH