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Reading: UK’s Oldest Satellite Unexpectedly Shifts Orbit
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UK Satellite Drift
PhotoNews Pakistan > Tech > UK’s Oldest Satellite Unexpectedly Shifts Orbit
Tech

UK’s Oldest Satellite Unexpectedly Shifts Orbit

Web Desk
By Web Desk Published November 11, 2024 2 Min Read
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UK's oldest satellite Skynet-1A . Photo Credits: @Slatefr (X)
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In a startling development for the UK space sector, the nation’s oldest satellite, Skynet-1A, launched in 1969, has unexpectedly drifted thousands of miles off its intended course.

Initially positioned over East Africa to support British military communications following the first lunar landing, Skynet-1A was recently found by scientists to be orbiting above the Americas, a significant deviation from its expected position over the Indian Ocean.

Experts are perplexed by the shift in Skynet-1A’s trajectory and struggle to determine how or who could have redirected it. Scientists assert that the satellite, weighing half a tonne, is unlikely to have moved such a distance, suggesting an intentional relocation.

The identity and motives of those behind this move remain unclear, leaving experts to ponder whether this repositioning serves any beneficial purpose.

Someone Moved The UK’s Oldest Satellite Skynet-1A And No One Knows Who Or Why https://t.co/TnQ4ICSAa0 pic.twitter.com/piP3NBJhB8

— Vazquez, Ø 🍯 (@VGO3696) November 11, 2024

Dr. Stuart Eves, a space consultant, discussed the implications, noting that the satellite is now caught in a gravitational anomaly at 105° West longitude, posing hazards to nearby satellite traffic due to its unpredictable movements. This situation increases the risk of collisions, for which the UK remains accountable, as Skynet-1A was a British satellite.

Rachel Hill, a PhD student at University College London, has investigated the satellite’s mysterious journey. She suggests that Skynet’s relocation might have occurred during “Oakout,” when satellite control was temporarily transferred to the US Air Force at their Sunnyvale facility, known as the Blue Cube, while the UK’s Oakhanger station underwent maintenance.

Space Mystery Alert: Britain's Oldest Satellite Moved Halfway Around the Globe!

Launched in 1969, the Skynet-1A was supposed to drift over the Indian Ocean when it ceased functioning.

Instead it's now 22,369 miles above the Americas, far from its original position over Africa's… pic.twitter.com/iEUC4FlBSb

— Tech News (@TechnicalNewsHQ) November 10, 2024
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