Somebody moved UK’s oldest satellite, and no-one knows who or why 2 days ago Jonathan Amos Science correspondent•@JCDAmos Someone moved the UK’s oldest satellite and there appears to be no record of exactly who, when or why.
But today, curiously, Skynet-1A is actually half a planet away, in a position 22,369 miles (36,000km) above the Americas.
Dr Eves has looked through old satellite catalogues, the National Archives and spoken to satellite experts worldwide, but he can find no clues to the end-of-life behaviour of Britain’s oldest spacecraft.
“The first Skynet satellite revolutionised UK telecommunications capacity, permitting London to securely communicate with British forces as far away as Singapore.
The Ministry of Defence said Skynet-1A was constantly monitored by the UK’s National Space Operations Centre.
Nobody knows who or why they moved the oldest satellite in the United Kingdom.
two days previously.
Jonathan Amos. .
@JCDAmos, science correspondent.
There doesn’t seem to be any documentation of who, what, or when the oldest satellite in the UK was moved.
In 1969, only a few months after the first human landing on the moon, Skynet-1A was launched to relay communications for British forces high above the east coast of Africa.
It was possible that gravity would have drawn the spacecraft even farther to the east, out over the Indian Ocean, when it stopped functioning a few years later.
Intriguingly, however, Skynet-1A is currently 22,369 miles (36,000 km) above the Americas, which is half a planet away.
It’s unlikely that the half-ton military spacecraft just drifted to its current location due to orbital mechanics.
In the middle of the 1970s, it was most likely ordered to fire its thrusters in order to move west. Who was that person, and what was their authority and goal?
It’s fascinating how important details about a once-essential national security asset can simply vanish. Aside from fascination, you might also wonder why it’s still important. We are discussing some space debris that was discarded fifty years ago, after all.
Dr. Stuart Eves, a space consultant, says, “It’s still relevant because whoever did move Skynet-1A did us few favors.”.
Like a marble at the bottom of a bowl, it is currently wandering back and forth in what is known as a “gravity well” at 105 degrees West longitude. Unfortunately, it frequently approaches other satellite traffic as a result of this.
He explains, “We’re still accountable for it because it’s ‘our’ satellite, and because it’s dead, there’s a chance it could collide with something.”.
Dr. Eves has searched the National Archives, old satellite catalogs, and conversations with satellite specialists around the globe, but he has not been able to uncover any information about the final stages of the life of Britain’s oldest spacecraft.
Because the name “Skynet” conjures up images of the evil, self-aware artificial intelligence (AI) system from the Terminator film series, it may be easy to reach for a conspiracy theory or two.
But other than the name, there is no connection, and real life is always more mundane.
The US-based, now-defunct Philco Ford aerospace company produced Skynet-1A, which was launched into space by a US Air Force Delta rocket.
“The initial Skynet satellite transformed the UK’s telecommunications capabilities, enabling London to safely connect with British forces located as far away as Singapore.”. However, since the United States developed and launched Skynet-1A, it was more American than British from a technological perspective, according to Dr. Aaron Bateman, who recently wrote a paper on the history of the Skynet program, which is currently in its fifth generation.
The opinion is supported by Graham Davison, who flew Skynet-1A from its UK operations center at RAF Oakhanger in Hampshire in the early 1970s.
“At first, the satellite was in orbit and under American control. Before ultimately giving the RAF control, they tested all of our software against theirs,” the long-retired engineer informed me.
“In essence, there was dual control, but I’m afraid I can’t remember when or why Skynet-1A might have been handed back to the Americans, which seems likely,” says Mr. Davison, who is now in his 80s.
Another University College London PhD student who has been searching the National Archives is Rachel Hill.
One very plausible possibility has emerged from her readings.
In order to conduct Skynet during ‘Oakout,’ an Oakhanger Skynet team would travel to the USAF satellite facility in Sunnyvale, also referred to as the Blue Cube. During this time, Oakhanger was out of commission for necessary maintenance, and temporary control was given to the US. Ms. Hill wondered if the move might have taken place at that time.
According to the official, albeit partial, logs of Skynet-1A’s status, when Oakhanger lost sight of the satellite in June 1977, final commanding was left to the Americans.
However, Skynet-1A was eventually allowed to die in an awkward location when it should have been placed in an “orbital graveyard” after being moved to its current location.
This is a region even higher in the sky where there is no chance of old space junk colliding with operational telecommunications satellites.
While graveyarding has become commonplace, nobody really considered space sustainability in the 1970s.
Since then, attitudes have shifted due to the crowded space domain.
Up to four times a day, an active satellite at 105 degrees West longitude may see a piece of junk pass within 50 kilometers of its location.
Although it may seem like they are far apart, given the speeds at which these abandoned objects travel, they are beginning to cross too closely.
The UK’s National Space Operations Centre, according to the Ministry of Defence, continuously monitors Skynet-1A. If a very close conjunction is anticipated, other satellite operators are alerted in case they need to take evasive action.
