US Cold War-Era Spy Satellite Explodes Above Earth — and Nobody Knows Why

A U.S. Cold War-era spy satellite has broken apart in orbit above Earth, and experts cannot say what caused the explosion or how many pieces it produced. The defunct USA 32, also known as Farrah III, shattered suddenly on Sept. 13, at an altitude of roughly 480 miles.

The NRO sent the spacecraft into orbit in 1988, and its purpose was to listen for Soviet radar and radio signals from above the atmosphere, according to Futura. The vehicle’s shape is a cylinder, and it took on a nickname inspired by the name of an actress, Farrah Fawcett. It probably ceased operating many years ago, and ever since then it has been making silent rounds around Earth.

The Breakup and What We Know

On Sept. 17, the U.S. Space Force’s satellite tracking office, Space-Track, said that USA 32 experienced a sudden “fragmentation” event four days before. That indicates the spacecraft likely broke apart, possibly fragmenting into dozens, hundreds or even thousands of pieces. No cause was given for the explosion, nor was the number of resulting fragments reported.

Other groups have confirmed the event, and one of those is the private satellite-tracking company s2a systems, which took pictures of the largest remaining piece of USA 32 still circling the Earth.

What Might Have Caused It

A number of possible explanations remain under consideration, and none of them has yet been confirmed or dismissed. Breakups caused by collisions with other satellites or space debris occur frequently, although no other spacecraft have been reported as affected. Because researchers can usually forecast these collisions days or weeks ahead, this particular cause seems improbable.

It probably wasn’t designed for a long stay in space, and after close to forty years in low Earth orbit, the spy craft may have simply worn out. The NOAA-17 satellite suffered the same end in 2021.

“Old spacecraft carry batteries and leftover propellant,” Spaceweather.com representatives wrote. “After 38 years of heating and cooling, a pressurized tank or a battery cell on USA 32 may have simply ruptured.”

There is no evidence that anti-satellite weapons were used in this instance, so “there may be nothing sinister about this event,” Spaceweather.com representatives wrote.

The Debris Threat

At least 200 other satellites are believed to be operating in the part of low Earth orbit where the USA 32 exploded, and that region is already crowded with debris from a collision between American and Russian satellites that took place in 2009.

Spaceweather.com representatives noted that the newly created fragments remain unquantified, “The collision threat is real,”.

So far, the incident has not triggered any problems or affected the deployment of new spacecraft. Russia proceeded with the Sept. 16 launch of a resupply mission to the International Space Station, which circles roughly 250 miles above Earth. SpaceX also carried out classified missions for the U.S. Space Force on Sept. 16 and Sept. 26, and launched the initial orbital test flight of its giant Starship rocket on Sept. 28.

What Happens Next

Experts hope to determine the cause by tracing the fragments back to the point where the explosion occurred and identifying each of them. It could require months or years of work. Investigators are still piecing together what befell the Boeing-made Intelsat 33e satellite, which broke apart without warning in 2024.

The ISS and China’s Tiangong space station are currently out of reach of the debris field. But Earth’s gravity and atmospheric drag may pull the fragments closer to the planet over time. In that case, the stations may have to carry out maneuvers to avoid the debris, as they have done dozens of times before.

Source material: “US Cold War-era spy satellite explodes above Earth — and nobody knows why,” Live Science.

anti-satellite · Farrah III · satellite · space debris · space junk · USA 32