The US military just moved a satellite to inspect a UK spacecraft 22,000 miles above Earth

Two yellow lines converge in a tight spiral on a starry background, with a tiny sliver of a blue-white earth below.

In a first-of-its kind operation, the United States repositioned one of its spacecraft to inspect an ally's satellite.

U.S. Space Command maneuvered one of its spacecraft in order to examine the Skynet 5A military communications satellite operated by the United Kingdom and assure the U.K. that it was operating in orbit as intended. The maneuver took place between Sept. 4 and Sept. 12 at an altitude of 22,236 miles (35,786 kilometers) in geostationary orbit, where satellites remain above a fixed spot on Earth. Both spacecraft were traveling 6,835 mph (11,000 km/h) during the operation, according to a statement from the Royal Air Force (RAF).