After a 25-year disappearance, the US Space Force has reacquired a minuscule experimental satellite. Thankfully, this time they might be able to keep tabs on it.
The S73-7, nicknamed the Infra-Red Calibration Balloon (IRCB), was a dud upon arrival. Launched in 1974 from one of the Air Force’s biggest Cold War spy satellites, the KH-9 Hexagon, it ejected successfully but failed to inflate fully. This malfunction rendered the 26-inch diameter balloon useless for its intended purpose – aiding ground equipment in calibrating remote sensing instruments. It became just another piece of space debris.
Observers quickly lost sight of the IRCB, only to rediscover it in the early 1990s. Then, it vanished again. Now, after another quarter-century, the Space Force’s 18th Space Defense Squadron has managed to relocate the defunct device.
This content is locked
Login To Unlock The Content! If you haven't already registered or subscribed, please help us continue to maintain an experience free of third-party ads. We offer a 7 day free trial, after that, subscription plans start at only $1 for one week.
Space Force finds a dead Cold War-era satellite that was missing for 25 years
https://theaegisalliance.com/2024/05/02/space-force-finds-a-dead-cold-war-era-satellite/
Space Force finds a dead Cold War-era satellite that was missing for 25 years
https://theaegisalliance.com/2024/05/02/space-force-finds-a-dead-cold-war-era-satellite/