Mystery erupts as US spy satellite explodes… and Space Force won’t rule out an attack
EXCERPT FROM THIS ARTICLE:
In this satellite ‘highway,’ there are many everyday and military satellites which support phone and internet services around the globe.
This includes GPS and navigation, weather forecasts, banking, shipping, emergency communications, US military communications, reconnaissance and warning systems – all of which operate in low Earth orbit.
An American spy satellite that was recently declassified to the public has mysteriously exploded, sparking concern that more satellites that provide phone and internet service may soon suffer the same fate.
The device, called USA 32, broke apart while in low Earth orbit on September 13, creating a large debris cloud just over 480 miles above the planet, the US Space Force said.
The military added that ‘further analysis is ongoing’ and did not release any other details or rule out the possibility of an anti-satellite weapon.
USA 32 had been in space since 1988 and was also known by its classified code name ‘Farrah III’ during the Cold War with the Soviet Union.
The National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), which builds and operates America’s spy satellites to collect intelligence from space, had just revealed the full details of its mission last year – which was to listen for Soviet radar and other electronic signals and relay that data to the US military.
Although the satellite’s mission had allegedly been over for years, its sudden destruction was not planned and the exact cause of the explosion has not been determined.
That mystery, which some have suspected could have been a collision with space debris or a meteor, has sparked concerns that other satellites which operate in this busy lane of space traffic could be next.
A statement by Spaceweather.com, which is run by astronomer Dr Tony Phillips, warned: ‘Other satellites may be in danger. USA 32 broke up in a crowded shell of low Earth orbit. The collision threat is real.’
Space Force officials confirmed Farrah III’s breakup on September 17, but did not name a probable cause and did not publish any theories of their own as to what caused the explosion.
One cause put forward by Dr Phillips’s website was the possibility that a pressurized tank or battery cell may have ruptured, leading to an explosion.
The satellite had just turned 38 years old on September 5, and was originally designed to operate for only three years, according to the declassified records made public by NRO. Its lifespan in space was said to be just four years.
However, the likelihood that the ‘tuna can-shaped’ spy craft was struck by a deadly space rock or another piece of man-made hardware has set off red flags that it could happen to a satellite with much greater importance to everyday life on Earth in 2026.
In this satellite ‘highway,’ there are many everyday and military satellites which support phone and internet services around the globe.
This includes GPS and navigation, weather forecasts, banking, shipping, emergency communications, US military communications, reconnaissance and warning systems – all of which operate in low Earth orbit.
If debris was the cause of the mysterious explosion and more pieces start knocking those satellites out, services on the ground could fail, and the US would lose eyes and links it relies on in space.
‘Within 50 km (31 miles) of its altitude are more than 200 active satellites, including the entire Iridium NEXT constellation. Even before USA 32 broke up, this region was extremely cluttered,’ said Phillips, who has 30 years of space forecasting experience.
As Phillips mentioned, Iridium NEXT is a network of about 66 working satellites that provide satellite phone and data service almost anywhere on Earth, including oceans and at the poles.
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