Cold War Spy Satellite Suddenly Shatters in Low Earth Orbit, Creating a Cloud of Debris That Could Threaten Other Spacecraft
The breakup may have created dozens or hundreds of fragments, and experts say the debris field could threaten other satellites in the crowded orbit.
- On September 13, the retired National Reconnaissance Office spy satellite USA 32, also known as Farrah III, unexpectedly fragmented at an altitude of 775 kilometers above Earth.
- Launched in 1988, the 38-year-old spacecraft was designed to intercept Soviet radar signals and shaped like a "tuna can," likely stopped functioning decades ago.
- Analysts suggest a pressurized tank or battery cell may have ruptured after 38 years of thermal cycling, though Spaceweather representatives note it is "too soon to rule out" anti-satellite weaponry.
- At least 200 active satellites, including Iridium NEXT and NOAA platforms, operate within 30 miles of the breakup altitude, and Spaceweather representatives wrote that "the collision threat is real."
- Tracking networks will spend the coming weeks mapping every fragment to ensure operational spacecraft can safely steer clear, as LEO becomes increasingly crowded with newly launched satellites.
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It was launched to listen to Soviet radars, but eventually left another legacy: wreckage around the Earth. The US spy satellite USA 32 was fragmented in September, almost four decades after the launch. The cause and total number of fragments remain unclear. A spy who listened to the Earth Known by the code name [...]
An American spy satellite launched during the Cold War suddenly exploded, without any warning, and scientists cannot explain why this happened. The waste cloud resulting from this sudden fragmentation, which experts are still trying to measure, could pose a "real threat to other spaceships in an extremely crowded region of the low orbit of the Earth," Live Science reports.
A US spy satellite, whose existence Washington recently declassified, has mysteriously exploded. The US Space Force has not ruled out an attack. The event has also raised concerns that other satellites providing telephone and internet services could soon suffer the same fate.
Cold War Spy Satellite USA 32 Breaks Apart in Orbit; Cause Unknown
An American spy satellite that had been circling Earth since the final years of the Cold War broke apart in orbit on Sept. 13 at approximately 5:13 p.m. ET, according to U.S. Space Forces-Space. The spacecraft, known as USA 32, fragmented roughly 480 miles above the planet, and the debris is now being tracked by Space-Track [1]. Officials said no immediate threats have been identified and that further analysis is ongoing. "All tracked debris are…
US spy satellite launched to monitor Soviet radar and named after Farrah Fawcett breaks apart 775 km above Earth after 38 years
A US Cold War-era spy satellite launched in 1988 to collect electronic intelligence has broken apart in low Earth orbit after nearly four decades circling
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