Skynet-1A: The 55-Year-Old Space Ghost Stirring Up Satellite Drama

Britain's oldest satellite, Skynet-1A (launched Nov 22, 1969), has moonwalked into a busy orbit at 105°W, threatening today’s digital chatter. Originally a military comms pioneer by Philco Ford via a US Delta rocket, it went kaput after 18 months. The 1970s saw a mysterious westward move—rumor has it the US pulled a cosmic Houdini. Now, the UK faces orbital clutter conundrums, fearing collisions that could trigger the asteroid-like Kessler syndrome.