What Skynet 1A looks like, the enigmatic satellite that shifted its orbit above Earth and no one knows who did it

The British ship is now approximately 36,000 km above the American continent. From this position, it is more likely to collide with other satellites.

Skynet A1 he satellite the oldest of United Kingdom is located thousands of kilometers from where it should be.

Instead of heading towards an “orbital graveyard”, the device is currently on the American continent, as described in the BBC . Although it’s not clear who is responsible for its movement or what its purpose was, scientists have some suspicions.

What does Skynet A1 look like?

Skynet A1 was a satellite intended to transmit communications to British military forces and which was developed by the now defunct American aerospace company Philco Ford.

In November 1969, it was launched into geostationary orbit, a region approximately 36,000 kilometers above the Earth’s equator. From there, the satellites have a privileged view of the Earth.

“The first Skynet satellite revolutionized the UK’s telecommunications capabilities, allowing London to communicate securely with British forces as far away as Singapore.” said Aaron Bateman, associate professor of history and international affairs at George Washington University, in a article published in 2023.

According to the BBC, Skynet A1 was specifically located over the east coast of Africa. And when, after a few years, it reached the end of its useful life, scientists expected gravity to steer it east, over the Indian Ocean.

But that didn’t happen: instead of being at that point in its orbit, the satellite moved about 36,000 km above the American continent.

Strange rocks prove Earth was once 'a huge snowball'
Skynet A1 was launched into geostationary orbit in 1969. Reference photo. Photo: NASA.

The risks of Skynet A1

From its current position, the British spacecraft is more likely to collide with other satellites.

According to British media reports, the chances that Skynet A1 has moved from its original location to its current location are very low. It is suspected that in the late 1970s someone ordered its thrusters turned on to move it westward.

Stuart Eve, a space consultant, explained that being located in a “gravity well” at approximately 105 degrees west longitude, this satellite moves as if it were a marble at the bottom of a bowl. This causes it to frequently approach other satellites and increases the risk that it could, at some point, collide with them.

Who moved the Skynet A1 satellite

One of the suspicions that has grown is that those who moved the UK’s oldest satellite were the Americans.

And the United States not only manufactured it, but was also responsible for launching it at Cape Canaveral, Florida, and was initially responsible for controlling it in orbit.

Documents reviewed by the BBC indicate that control of the military vessel was temporarily returned to the United States in 1977 while the Oakhanger base was not operational. Thus, the Americans would have been responsible for the last commandments.

Beyond that, the problem is that Skynet A1 is located in an uncomfortable area to die, since the ideal was for it to rest in an “orbital graveyard”, a region where some artificial satellites are taken at the end of their life. operational life.

The British Ministry of Defense has now said it is monitoring the military vessel to be aware of any risk of collision.

Source: Latercera

Related articles

Comments

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Share article

Latest articles

Newsletter

Subscribe to stay updated.