The Mystery of the UK’s Oldest Satellite: Skynet-1A’s Strange Journey Above the Americas
Science/Medical/Technology
Monday 11th, November 2024
In a curious twist, the UK’s oldest satellite, Skynet-1A, appears to have travelled across the globe without any official record detailing how, why, or who authorised the move. Launched in 1969, just months after humans first landed on the Moon, Skynet-1A was designed as a critical communications link for British forces. Originally positioned 36,000 kilometres above East Africa, it was expected to remain stationed in that region or drift naturally eastward towards the Indian Ocean. However, Skynet-1A is now located halfway around the world, floating over the Americas—a position that experts say it couldn’t have reached by simple gravitational drift.
"Almost certainly, it was commanded to fire its thrusters in the mid-1970s to take it westwards", stated Dr Stuart Eves, a space consultant who has investigated the satellite’s history. The pressing question now is, who issued this command, under what authority, and for what purpose?
Skynet-1A ceased operation in the 1970s, yet its current location raises both practical and historical concerns. At 105 degrees West longitude, Skynet-1A sits within what experts term a “gravity well”, which pulls the satellite in a small, oscillating movement, like a marble at the bottom of a bowl. This area is congested, with Skynet-1A passing near other satellite traffic up to four times a day. "Because it’s dead, the risk is it might bump into something, and because it’s 'our' satellite we’re still responsible for it", Dr Eves explained.
Dr Eves, along with other experts, has scoured satellite archives, the National Archives, and spoken with former satellite operators, yet they have found no documented explanation for Skynet-1A’s relocation. Speculation and theories abound, but no definitive answers have emerged, sparking interest in this mysterious footnote in the UK’s military history.
Though Skynet-1A’s relocation remains unexplained, Rachel Hill, a PhD student at University College London, has proposed one plausible scenario. After extensive research, she suggested that the satellite could have been temporarily handed over to the United States for operational purposes during routine maintenance. “A Skynet team from Oakhanger would go to the USAF satellite facility in Sunnyvale (colloquially known as the Blue Cube) and operate Skynet during ‘Oakout’. This was when control was temporarily transferred to the US while Oakhanger was down for essential maintenance. Perhaps the move could have happened then?” Ms Hill speculated.
The Skynet-1A programme was a joint British-American project from the start. Built in the United States by the now-defunct Philco Ford aerospace company, the satellite was launched on a US Air Force Delta rocket. Its creation was a landmark achievement, expanding British telecommunications capabilities to connect with British forces as far away as Singapore. Despite its British name, the satellite was more American than British, said Dr Aaron Bateman, who recently authored a paper on Skynet’s history. "The first Skynet satellite revolutionised UK telecommunications capacity, permitting London to securely communicate with British forces as far away as Singapore," Dr Bateman noted, “but from a technological standpoint, Skynet-1A was more American than British since the United States both built and launched it”.
This transatlantic cooperation also extended to satellite control. Graham Davison, a retired engineer who managed Skynet-1A in the early 1970s, recalled how control of the satellite was originally shared. "The Americans originally controlled the satellite in orbit. They tested all of our software against theirs, before then eventually handing over control to the RAF", he explained. Mr Davison, now in his 80s, speculated that the satellite might have been handed back to the Americans for certain manoeuvres. However, he admitted, “when or why Skynet-1A might have been handed back to the Americans, which seems likely—I’m afraid I can’t remember”.
Records suggest that in June 1977, the British RAF’s main communications hub, RAF Oakhanger, lost contact with Skynet-1A, leaving control with the Americans. Regardless of the exact timeline, Skynet-1A ended up in an awkward position rather than an “orbital graveyard”. Orbital graveyards, high altitudes well beyond active satellite paths, have become a standard resting place for defunct satellites to prevent potential collisions. But in the 1970s, such space sustainability practices were not yet a priority.
This attitude has changed, with more satellites in orbit and a greater risk of space debris causing accidents. “Pieces of space junk are like ticking time bombs”. said Moriba Jah, a professor of aerospace engineering at the University of Texas at Austin. “We need to avoid what I call super-spreader events. When these things explode or something collides with them, it generates thousands of pieces of debris that then become a hazard to something else that we care about”.
To minimise risks, the Ministry of Defence has confirmed that Skynet-1A remains under surveillance by the UK’s National Space Operations Centre. When Skynet-1A comes particularly close to another active satellite, operators are warned to take evasive measures. Nevertheless, the UK government may ultimately need to consider relocating or removing the old satellite to a safer position. The UK Space Agency, along with several international partners, has begun funding research into technologies that could capture and relocate space debris, including in higher orbits. Both the United States and China have demonstrated such capabilities in recent years, although costs for such missions are steep, with estimates in the range of €100 million per mission.
"Almost certainly, it was commanded to fire its thrusters in the mid-1970s to take it westwards", stated Dr Stuart Eves, a space consultant who has investigated the satellite’s history. The pressing question now is, who issued this command, under what authority, and for what purpose?
Skynet-1A ceased operation in the 1970s, yet its current location raises both practical and historical concerns. At 105 degrees West longitude, Skynet-1A sits within what experts term a “gravity well”, which pulls the satellite in a small, oscillating movement, like a marble at the bottom of a bowl. This area is congested, with Skynet-1A passing near other satellite traffic up to four times a day. "Because it’s dead, the risk is it might bump into something, and because it’s 'our' satellite we’re still responsible for it", Dr Eves explained.
Dr Eves, along with other experts, has scoured satellite archives, the National Archives, and spoken with former satellite operators, yet they have found no documented explanation for Skynet-1A’s relocation. Speculation and theories abound, but no definitive answers have emerged, sparking interest in this mysterious footnote in the UK’s military history.
Though Skynet-1A’s relocation remains unexplained, Rachel Hill, a PhD student at University College London, has proposed one plausible scenario. After extensive research, she suggested that the satellite could have been temporarily handed over to the United States for operational purposes during routine maintenance. “A Skynet team from Oakhanger would go to the USAF satellite facility in Sunnyvale (colloquially known as the Blue Cube) and operate Skynet during ‘Oakout’. This was when control was temporarily transferred to the US while Oakhanger was down for essential maintenance. Perhaps the move could have happened then?” Ms Hill speculated.
The Skynet-1A programme was a joint British-American project from the start. Built in the United States by the now-defunct Philco Ford aerospace company, the satellite was launched on a US Air Force Delta rocket. Its creation was a landmark achievement, expanding British telecommunications capabilities to connect with British forces as far away as Singapore. Despite its British name, the satellite was more American than British, said Dr Aaron Bateman, who recently authored a paper on Skynet’s history. "The first Skynet satellite revolutionised UK telecommunications capacity, permitting London to securely communicate with British forces as far away as Singapore," Dr Bateman noted, “but from a technological standpoint, Skynet-1A was more American than British since the United States both built and launched it”.
This transatlantic cooperation also extended to satellite control. Graham Davison, a retired engineer who managed Skynet-1A in the early 1970s, recalled how control of the satellite was originally shared. "The Americans originally controlled the satellite in orbit. They tested all of our software against theirs, before then eventually handing over control to the RAF", he explained. Mr Davison, now in his 80s, speculated that the satellite might have been handed back to the Americans for certain manoeuvres. However, he admitted, “when or why Skynet-1A might have been handed back to the Americans, which seems likely—I’m afraid I can’t remember”.
Records suggest that in June 1977, the British RAF’s main communications hub, RAF Oakhanger, lost contact with Skynet-1A, leaving control with the Americans. Regardless of the exact timeline, Skynet-1A ended up in an awkward position rather than an “orbital graveyard”. Orbital graveyards, high altitudes well beyond active satellite paths, have become a standard resting place for defunct satellites to prevent potential collisions. But in the 1970s, such space sustainability practices were not yet a priority.
This attitude has changed, with more satellites in orbit and a greater risk of space debris causing accidents. “Pieces of space junk are like ticking time bombs”. said Moriba Jah, a professor of aerospace engineering at the University of Texas at Austin. “We need to avoid what I call super-spreader events. When these things explode or something collides with them, it generates thousands of pieces of debris that then become a hazard to something else that we care about”.
To minimise risks, the Ministry of Defence has confirmed that Skynet-1A remains under surveillance by the UK’s National Space Operations Centre. When Skynet-1A comes particularly close to another active satellite, operators are warned to take evasive measures. Nevertheless, the UK government may ultimately need to consider relocating or removing the old satellite to a safer position. The UK Space Agency, along with several international partners, has begun funding research into technologies that could capture and relocate space debris, including in higher orbits. Both the United States and China have demonstrated such capabilities in recent years, although costs for such missions are steep, with estimates in the range of €100 million per mission.
