US EditionLong-Dead Satellite Emits Strong Radio Signal, Puzzling Astronomers
- On June 13, 2024, astronomers using the ASKAP telescope in Australia detected a powerful fast radio burst from NASA's inactive Relay 2 satellite orbiting Earth about 4,500 kilometers away.
- The burst originated from the satellite’s electrostatic discharge or possibly a micrometeoroid impact, with static buildup onRelay 2's metal skin considered the main cause.
- Relay 2 launched in 1964, ceased operation by 1967 after its transponders failed, and remained in orbit as space debris until the unexpected burst.
- The radio burst lasted about 30 nanoseconds, with a three-nanosecond main pulse at the detection limit, and astronomers noted that such electrostatic events could be common and hazardous to satellites.
- This observation highlights the need for care distinguishing satellite signals from cosmic sources and suggests further study could improve spacecraft protection against electrostatic discharges in orbit.
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This Nasa satellite has been out of service since the late 1960s.
·Paris, France
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The Relay 2 satellite had long since become nothing more than space junk – until astronomers in Australia picked up a mysterious radio signal.
·Berlin, Germany
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Australian astronomers picked up a strange radio signal near our planet in mid-June. It was so powerful that, for a moment, it eclipsed everything else in the sky. The search for its origin has raised new questions about…
In mid-June, Australian astronomers detected a strange radio signal, a location near the Earth and so powerful that for a moment, it eclipsed all other objects from the sky. Searching for its source led to new...
·Romania
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