Copernical Team
'Lost' spy satellite orbited Earth undetected for 25 years—until now, scientists say
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An experimental spy satellite that was deemed "lost" after eluding detection for decades has finally been found. "The S73-7 satellite has been rediscovered after being untracked for 25 years," astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell said in an April 29 post on X, formerly Twitter. He says it reappeared on April 25, citing Space Force data.
The Cold War-era satellite, officially called the Infra-Red Calibration Balloon (S73-7), was just over 2 feet in diameter. The U.S. Air Force's Space Test program launched it on April 10, 1974, with a much larger spy satellite, Gizmodo reported.
According to the outlet, the balloon was supposed to inflate after launch, but something went wrong. After the failure, teams back home lost track of the balloon twice—once in the 1970s and then again for much longer starting in the 1990s when ground-based sensors could no longer detect it.
For a quarter-century, analysts in the 18th Space Defense Squadron, the group responsible for tracking all human-made objects in Earth's orbit, saw nothing of S73-7, Popular Science reported. In the minds of experts, the balloon was now lost in the world of "space junk.
Space Team Europe for Ariane 6: Aline Decadi
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They say it takes a village to raise a child. To launch a rocket, we have the combined expertise and passion of Space Team Europe. Aline Decadi is one of many making the first Ariane 6 launch possible and has been interviewed as part of a series highlighting some of the people that make up this dream team.
Working for ESA, Aline Decadi is Launch System Dependability and Safety Lead engineer on Ariane 6 meaning her role is to predict what could go wrong at any moment to protect the people working at Europe’s Spaceport. Passionate about space
Where space weather starts
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Where space weather starts Webb hints at atmosphere around rocky exoplanet
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Researchers using the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope may have detected atmospheric gases surrounding 55 Cancri e, a hot rocky exoplanet 41 light-years from Earth. This is the best evidence to date for the existence of a rocky planet atmosphere outside our Solar System.
Artist's view of the Ariane 6 components and payload with two boosters – white background
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Artist's view of the Ariane 6 components and payload with two boosters – white background Artist's view of the Ariane 6 components with two boosters – blue background
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Artist's view of the Ariane 6 components with two boosters – blue background Artist's view of the Ariane 6 components with two boosters
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Artist's view of the Ariane 6 components with two boosters Artist's view of the Ariane 6 components and payload with two boosters – blue background
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Artist's view of the Ariane 6 components and payload with two boosters – blue background Ariane 6 launches 3Cat-4: reflecting on Earth
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Europe’s newest rocket soon launches, taking with it many space missions each with a unique objective, destination and team at home, cheering them on. Whether launching new satellites to look back and study Earth, peer out to deep space or test important new technologies in orbit, Ariane 6’s first flight will showcase the versatility and flexibility of this impressive, heavy-lift launcher. Read on for all about 3Cat-4, then see who else is flying first.
ICEYE launches new APIs for direct satellite tasking and data access
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ICEYE, a leader in synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite technology, has introduced two new application programming interfaces (APIs) that provide customers quicker access to its extensive SAR satellite imagery. These APIs allow for automated interactions and seamless integration with ICEYE's space and ground systems, eliminating the need for manual oversight.
The first of these APIs is