Satellite dead for over 50 years mysteriously travels halfway around the world

Space is a strange place, and yet again, an occurrence has baffled scientists. A satellite that has been dead for more than 50 years has drifted away thousands of miles. Something seems to have moved it away from where it should be. The satellite was supposed to spend its last days in a quiet place in orbit but is strangely hovering over the Americas.

Skynet-1A was launched into a geostationary orbit over Eastern Africa in 1969 and was used by the British military for communications. After its job was done, it was supposed to move to a place where it didn't risk colliding with other defunct spacecraft.

However, the satellite is in an altogether new location and is believed to have been steered there by a mysterious command, BBC reported. It is currently 36,000 km above the Americas. The dead satellite now stands the risk of coming into contact with other pieces of space junk.

BBC reporter Jonathan Amos investigated Skynet-1A's trip and says that it was likely moved in the 1970s. Reportedly, Americans might have something to do with it.

Based on the report, there is no way Skynet-1A could have drifted to its current location by itself. So someone definitely fired the satellite's thrusters to move it towards the West.

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Skynet-1A didn't end up in graveyard

The satellite was built in the US and launched on board the US Air Force’s Delta rocket. Washington tested it as well before handing over its command to the Royal Air Force. As per some documents, the control of Skynet-1A went back to the US in June 1977, the BBC report stated.

This is when the US supposedly steered it away. However, satellites in GEO always remain in the same spot over Earth's surface. But the last manoeuvre moved it towards the Americas when it should have lifted towards a higher orbit and moved to the orbital graveyard, a place where defunct satellites go.

The anomaly has led the UK’s Ministry of Defence to keep a watch on the satellite to ensure no collisions happen. Space debris is a bigger problem today, with experts raising the alarm, saying that it is a matter of when and not if a space collision might occur.