US Space Scientists Rediscover Satellite Missing For 25 Years

In a case of cosmic hide-and-seek, the US Space Force has located a tiny, experimental satellite that went missing in orbit for a staggering 25 years.

The satellite, named S73-7 Infra-Red Calibration Balloon (IRCB), was launched in 1974 alongside a massive Cold War-era spy satellite. Unfortunately, upon deployment, the IRCB malfunctioned and never inflated to its intended size, rendering it useless for its intended purpose.

Adding to its misfortune, astronomers soon lost track of the wayward satellite. Remarkably, they managed to relocate it in the 1990s, only to lose sight of it again. Now, after another quarter-century, the watchful eye of the 18th Space Defence Squadron has spotted the IRCB once more.

Jonathan McDowell, an astrophysicist from the Harvard-Smithsonian Centre for Astrophysics, said on X, formerly known as Twitter: "The S73-7 satellite has been rediscovered after being untracked for 25 years. New TLEs for object 7244 started appearing on April 25. Congratulations to whichever @18thSDS analyst made the identification."

The S73-7 satellite has been rediscovered after being untracked for 25 years. New TLEs for object 7244 started appearing on Apr 25. Congrats to whichever @18thSDS analyst made the identification. pic.twitter.com/YJOow5o4ND

— Jonathan McDowell (@planet4589) April 29, 2024

This has raised questions about how this satellite could seemingly disappear from radar for so long.

"Maybe the thing that they're tracking is a dispenser or a piece of the balloon that didn't deploy right, so it's not metal and doesn't show up well on radar," Jonathan McDowell told Gizmodo.

While the rediscovery holds little scientific value, it highlights the growing challenge of tracking countless objects orbiting Earth. This incident also indicates the expanding "space junk" problem, urging better tracking and management of our increasingly crowded cosmic neighbourhood.