Current estimates suggest there are over 12,000 artificial satellites in orbit around Earth. Many of these perform specific tasks such as monitoring Earth’s environment, aiding communication and navigation, spying, and so on.
Some objects are merely defunct satellites or flotsam and jetsam from previous launches. But a tiny fraction of these artificial satellites are (or were) distinctly odd.
Last December, an experimental satellite was released from the International Space Station. ‘LignoSat’, built by Kyoto University for JAXA (Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency), was partly constructed of wood – honoki magnolia to be precise.
Equipped with various sensors, the 10 x 10cm (4 x 4in) satellite was designed to test the wood’s ability to withstand the conditions of space.
Perhaps the strangest satellite is one that may not exist.
A popular conspiracy theory holds that an extraterrestrial craft, known as ‘Black Knight’, is in orbit around Earth – likely inspired by a NASA photo of space debris taken during a Space Shuttle flight in 1998.
This article is an answer to the question (asked by Sam Russell, via email) ‘What’s the strangest satellite in space?’
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