[Tee tiong huat]

The satellite that is not now working should be in a geostationary arc at a longitude of around 40 East. However, it isn’t. In fact, nobody knows where it is. A military spacecraft launched 55 years ago was moved from its orbit. Nowadays nobody is quite sure who did it, or why. Down belong we will tell the entire story.

Back in Time

To know all the story, it’s important to go back in time. Back in 1969 the UK launched Skynet-1A. This satellite had the duty of a military communications, whose place was located orbit above the east coast of Africa. Its main duty was to relay information to British armed forces.

Finally, its work stopped working due to hardware problems around 18 months after it started operating. In addition, the spacecraft was left to the laws of physics to orbit the Earth. In our time it is the oldest UK spacecraft still in space.

A military spacecraft was launched into space 55 years ago – Someone moved its orbit and no one knows who did it

A military spacecraft was launched into space 55 years ago. (Large Asteroid closing in on Earth)
The satellite that is not now working should be in a geostationary arc at a longitude of around 40 East. However, it isn’t. In fact, nobody knows where it is. A military spacecraft launched 55 years ago was moved from its orbit. Nowadays nobody is quite sure who did it, or why. Down belong we will tell the entire story.


Back in Time
To know all the story, it’s important to go back in time. Back in 1969 the UK launched Skynet-1A. This satellite had the duty of a military communications, whose place was located orbit above the east coast of Africa. Its main duty was to relay information to British armed forces.

Finally, its work stopped working due to hardware problems around 18 months after it started operating. In addition, the spacecraft was left to the laws of physics to orbit the Earth. In our time it is the oldest UK spacecraft still in space.


Check on Satellites
It’s a good and productive idea to check on satellites that are not working anymore. Because, thanks to it, it’ll make sure the space debris is not on course to collide with any working satellites or populated areas of the Earth below.

In 1970s, when satellite was closely tracked, it was in a geostationary arc at a longitude of around 40 East, —exactly the area where it remained when it was no loarger commissioned—. That type of orbits are subject to gravitational perturbations by the Sun, Earth and Moon.

“In the case Skynet-1A had not completed its duty at its operational location of around 40 East, we would now expect it to be oscillating by around 35 degrees either side of 75 East,” satellite-system engineer Dr Stuart Eves post in a blog post for The Global Network on Sustainability in Space. Moreover, “except that it isn’t, Skynet-1A is now sitting very close to the bottom of the other well at 105 West, oscillating by just a couple of degrees”, According to the UK Registry.

“The Satellite Has Likely Been Moved”
Spacecraft is not in the area it is supposed to be if follow to what we know about orbits, now some 36,000 km (22,369 miles) upon the Americas. At some point intervening years, satellite has likely been moved.

There is No Knowledge...Nevertheless, there is nobody appears to know where, time, the main reason or by whom. Tracking of satellite has been quite hard, particularly in mid-70s when the maneuver appears to have taken place, any records of what happened appear to have been lost. Speculations surfaced over years, but solid evidence remains elusive, few surviving documents only hint at a shadowy op, buried deep in obscurity satellite, if it is UK’s first, was built, partly operated by the US of America, with both countries sending commands to it.

“A Skynet team from Oakhanger would go to the USAF satellite facility in Sunnyvale (colloquially known as the Blue Cube) and operate Skynet while ‘Oakout’,” Rachel Hill, a PhD student from University College London who is at the National Archives for clues, explained the BBC. “This was when the checking was temporarily transferred to US while Oakhanger was down for essential maintenance. Maybe could have happened?”

Interesting mystery as who fired it or why, it could become more pressing in incoming time. In its now orbit, satellite could pose problems for other satellites in geostationary orbit that are closer. If it collide with another, the question who damaged the order to fire satellite’s thrusters could decide which country is liable for damage. Who lehh?.