NASA satellite that “died” 57 years ago suddenly sends mysterious signal to Earth

An extremely powerful radio signal, lasting less than 30 nanoseconds, suddenly appeared in the sky over Western Australia on June 13, 2024, surprising scientists at a local observatory.

Initially, the origin of this signal pulse was a great mystery, thought to come from the depths of the universe. However, after in-depth data analysis, researchers discovered a surprising truth: this signal did not come from a distant celestial body, but from Relay-2, a NASA satellite that stopped working 57 years ago.

NASA satellite that “died” 57 years ago suddenly sends mysterious signal to Earth - 1

Illustration of Relay-2 satellite in space (Photo: NASA).

Relay-2, launched into orbit by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) on January 21, 1964, was one of two pioneering telecommunications satellites.

Its missions included transmitting television signals and collecting data on the Allen radiation belt, making an important contribution to the study of the near-Earth space environment.

The satellite ceased operations on June 9, 1967, after two of its transmitters failed, cutting off all communication with Earth. Relay-2 was considered “dead” until a brief event in mid-June.

Clancy James, a space researcher at Curtin University, Australia, could not hide his initial excitement: "We were very excited, thinking that we had received a signal from some new object in the universe.

This is an extremely powerful radio signal that outshines everything else in the sky, even if only for a very short period of time." Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs) are powerful and short-lived radio waves that often originate in deep space, releasing huge amounts of energy in just a few milliseconds.

It is worth noting that at the time the signal was detected, the Relay-2 satellite was flying directly above the Western Australian Radio Astronomy Observatory.

The reason behind the unexpected "resurrection" of Relay-2 after nearly six decades remains a big question for scientists.

One theory is that the satellite accumulated a large amount of static electricity over years of drifting through space and suddenly discharged it in a powerful pulse of energy.

Another possibility is that Relay-2 collided with micrometeorites – small particles of dust or debris in orbit – causing the release of a plasma cloud, which in turn emitted the signal recorded on Earth.

Although this is not the first time that "dead" or missing satellites have suddenly reappeared, the return of Relay-2 after nearly 6 decades still baffles scientists.

In the past, some satellites have been able to drift out of orbit and then right themselves, or to build up enough energy from their solar batteries after a long period of exhaustion to transmit signals. However, Relay-2’s case is extremely rare and has no satisfactory explanation.

The growing number of defunct satellites floating around Earth, sometimes still emitting signals, is posing a major challenge for scientists in distinguishing between "echoes" from old machines and real messages from the distant universe.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/khoa-hoc/ve-tinh-nasa-da-chet-57-nam-truoc-bat-ngo-gui-tin-hieu-bi-an-ve-trai-dat-20250625023652499.htm