The Black Knight Satellite: Enigmatic Object Plotting Our Doom? - Part 2

In the first part of this series, we learned about the detection of the mysterious Black Knight Satellite in the 1950s, the alarm it raised in the military and air force, and the panic and confusion it caused amongst the public at the height of the Cold War.

Among other things we analyzed denials of the strange satellite's existence by the powers-that-be; reports to the contrary in the Press and respected publications by leading scientists, informed whistleblowers, and amateur astronomers; sightings of UFOs above prominent U.S. buildings; and radar detections of the satellite that led to a vicious blame-game between arch rivals the United States and the Soviet Union in the early days of the space race.

We also briefly learned about photographs of the purported Black Knight Satellite snapped by NASA astronauts, no less; explored the origin of the satellite's name; reviewed its chronology and efforts of scientists, such as Nikola Tesla to communicate with the object.

Let's continue our journey by going back millennia, to the very beginning of the Black Knight Satellite saga.

True Age of the Black Knight

Historical records and anecdotal evidence add further layers to the mystery of the Black Knight legend. Although the moon is our only celestial satellite, alien theorists contend that texts from various ancient cultures make references to a dark object, also called a “Dark Ark,” orbiting the earth.

Babylonian, Egyptian, and Greek mythology dwell specifically on the stars of the Boötes constellation. Even Homer mentions Boötes as a celestial reference for navigation in his epic poem Odyssey. Unsurprisingly, the Boötes connection is at the heart of the Black Knight Satellite narrative too.

Star map showing the Boötes constellation. (International Astronomical Union (IAU) - IAU/Sky and Telescope/CC BY-SA 3.0).

One of the most shocking aspects of the Black Knight Satellite is its alleged age. According to one theorist, the alien probe has been orbiting Earth for approximately 13,000 years, long before the advent of human civilization.

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Scottish science fiction author and astronomer, Duncan Lunan, made this age-related proposal in a 1973 Spaceflight magazine article published by the British Interplanetary Society. He proposed the vast number of years after analyzing the long-delayed echoes or LDEs received by Norwegian engineer and HAM radio operator, Jørgen Hals, in 1927. “From where this echo comes I cannot say for the present, but I will only herewith confirm, that I really heard this echo,”

Boötes as depicted in Urania’s Mirror, a set of constellation cards published in London c.1825. (Wikipedia Commons/Sidney Hall/Public Domain).

Lunan hypothesized that a 13,000-year-old object orbiting the Moon could have produced those LDEs. To arrive at this conclusion, he connected the satellite with the location of the North Pole star, Polaris; and then plotted a vertical axis of the transmitted pulse sequence with a horizontal axis of echo delay time.

In 1998, Lunan explained this process: “I tried plotting the delay times against the order in which the echoes were received... and at only the second attempt I found what looked like a star map.”

Lunan disclosed that the hidden radio message sent by the alien space probe announced:

“Start here. Our home is Epsilon Boötes, which is a double star. We live on the sixth planet of seven, coming from the sun, which is the larger of the two. Our sixth planet has one Moon. Our fourth planet has three. Our first and third planets each have one. This updates the position of Arcturus shown on our maps.”

The message also supposedly said, “Our probe is in the orbit of your Moon.”

Remember the object Slayton claimed to have seen streak across the Moon in 1958? Or references to the Boötes constellation in ancient cultures? Why, even the LDEs heard by Tesla, Marconi and Hals? Was it the Black Knight Satellite all along?

In deciphering the code, Lunan pinpointed the origin of the probe to Epsilon Boötes, also known as Izar, a binary star system located in the constellation of Boötes. But he hit a roadblock when he plotted out the co-ordinates on the star map, as they did not line up with the position of the stars mentioned in the alien message — especially the position of Arcturus, the brightest star in that constellation.

But things dramatically fell into place when Lunan, considering axial precession, adjusted the star map to reflect the position of the Boötes constellation as it would have appeared a staggering 13,000 years ago. He found an exact match, which meant the Black Knight Satellite arrived here in 11,000 BC.

The path of the north celestial pole among the stars due to the precession. (Tau’olunga/CC BY-SA 2.5).

Despite gaining wide publicity in major news outlets, such as the New York Times, Time Magazine, and the CBS Evening News, Lunan retracted his conclusions in 1976. But that did not shake the conviction of the Ufology community, who swore that the Black Knight Satellite was real. However, Lunan re-interpreted a portion of his theory in 1998 on the grounds of positional astronomy.

Sightings of the Silent Space Sentinel

Alleged sightings of the Black Knight Satellite by NASA astronauts during space missions have added massive fuel to the speculation-fire.

In 1963 during his 15th orbit on the Faith 7 spacecraft, Gordon Cooper, one of NASA's original Mercury Seven astronauts, claimed to have spotted an object which was alleged to have been the Black Knight satellite. The craft, that Cooper described as emitting a greenish-glow with a distinct shape, was confirmed by tracking stations.

Astronaut Gordon Cooper sighted a strange object while orbiting Earth in the Faith 7 spacecraft in 1963. (NASA).

This information not only went missing from NASA's mission transcripts, but Cooper's personal records too did not reveal any such report was made during the orbit. The truth was irrevocably buried when Cooper retracted his statement upon returning. In addition to this, the media blackout which ensued on the topic and the US space agency's bizarre explanation that their ace astronaut had suffered cosmic hallucinations put a lid on the matter forever.

Claims and counter-claims about the Black Knight came to a dramatic head when NASA released sensational photographs taken during the eleven-day STS-88 Endeavour mission in late-December 1998 — the first Space Shuttle mission to assemble vital components of the International Space Station, the first permanently-manned satellite in Earth’s orbit.

Among other payloads on board the STS-88 mission to the ISS was the first American-built module, the Unity node, which was designed to connect the Russian and United States segments of the station, where the crew shared meals.

View of the ISS Unity module photographed by the STS-88 mission in December 1998. (NASA).

Dubbed as some of the weirdest-looking 70-mm photographs to ever emerge from the space shuttle program, the main controversial image showed a dark, oddly-shaped, elongated object with what appeared to be strange protrusions. An abnormal design for a spacecraft that indicated it could not have been conceived or built by humans.

Ecstatic ufologists instantly identified it as the Black Knight Satellite, and proclaimed the photograph in question was undeniable and compelling evidence that the craft originated from an alien world.

Detail of the controversial photo taken during Space Shuttle mission STS-88, described as showing a drifting thermal blanket or "space debris". Alien enthusiasts, however, claim it is the elusive Black Knight Satellite. (NASA).

Unruffled by such conjecture NASA cataloged the image, under the number STS088-724-66, not as one that showed a spacecraft of extraterrestrial origin but with a more mundane explanation: space debris. Remnants, they explained, from a white thermal blanket that came loose from its tether and floated away during an extravehicular activity or EVA, commonly referred to as a spacewalk, performed by mission specialists Jerry Ross and Jim Newman.

When the astronauts embarked on this spacewalk to continue the installation of the Unity node, they began by connecting power and data cables to permit power generated from Zarya, which means sunrise in Russian. It was the Functional Cargo Block built by Boeing and the Russian Space Agency, to activate the systems on board Unity.

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During the EVA outside Unity, Jim and Ross installed two antennas, removed launch restraint pins, and installed covers on data relay boxes to protect them from sunlight. It was during the last of these procedures that the crew spotted and photographed a thermal blanket floating away.

So, is there a rational explanation for the black object seen in the photos? The answer, according to NASA, is simple: the reflective surface of the thermal blanket is facing the darkness of space, away from the light of the Earth.

Though NASA reported that the debris fell from orbit a few days later and burned up in the atmosphere on re-entry, things were to take an even more peculiar turn. NASA rendered the original photo links inoperative during routine website maintenance. This purportedly innocuous move snowballed overnight, with UFO theorists claiming a cover-up.

Though events such as these played out amply in the public domain, they have not changed the minds of those who believe NASA is intentionally concealing information it has gathered over the years about the true nature and origin of the Black Knight Satellite. Ufologists even claim the space agency is in communication with the sneaky satellite.

Navigating Space Debris

Debunking the alien origin hypothesis, skeptics argue that the Black Knight Satellite is space junk from a lost piece of man-made technology. They point to the improbability and enormous challenges of maintaining such a satellite in orbit for extended periods, let alone 13,000 years, particularly without detection.

But who is to say what capabilities a technologically advanced alien civilization may command?

Illustration of a satellite breaking up into multiple pieces at higher altitudes. (European Space Agency).

Lest we forget, in the form of the Voyager Golden Records aboard the Voyager 1 and 2 spacecrafts, we humans sent a kind of time capsule showcasing the sounds and images of planet Earth; indicating the origin of the spacecrafts and advertising our location for discovery by potential intelligent alien worlds. So why would another species not attempt to communicate in a similar manner, such as the Black Knight Satellite purportedly does?

Besides, if we can send orbital spacecraft, probes, and satellites to study nearby planets and other parts of the solar system, what would prevent an advanced extraterrestrial race from doing the same?

What is accurate though is that with the sheer amount of debris that clutters the space around our planet today, it would prove difficult to locate any prospective non-terrestrial technological artifacts that may be watching us.

While current European Space Agency data reveals there are 5,800 functioning satellites in orbit. The United States Space Surveillance Network estimates that there are over 170 million pieces of space debris, ranging from 1 millimeter to 10 centimeters, orbiting Earth.

NASA states that as of January 2022, they have calculated that this material collectively weighs more than 9,000 metric tons. But Space Surveillance Networks find it incredibly hard to log and continuously track space junk due to technological limitations.

Visitors from Stars Beyond

Is the Black Knight Satellite our first interstellar visitor? Probably not.

Using the Pan-STARRS telescope, in October 2017, astronomers detected Oumuamua, meaning ‘scout’ in Hawaiian. Speculated to use solar energy for propulsion, it was the first interstellar object to pass through our Solar System.

Artist's impression of 'Oumuamua', the mysterious interstellar object that entered our solar system in 2017. (M. Kornmesser/European Space Agency).

As expected, the sighting of the rocky, cigar-shaped object with a somewhat reddish hue, sent the scientific world into a tizzy. Astronomer Avi Loeb, founder of The Galileo Project, that is aimed at detecting extraterrestrial technological signatures produced by Extraterrestrial Technological Civilizations or ETCs, suggested that Oumuamua could be a product of alien technology.

It boggles the mind to think about the many interstellar objects that may have gone unnoticed over the past 100 years, if not more, merely because we did not possess the means to identify them until about a decade ago.

Repeated Global Sightings

The Black Knight story is alive and well, precisely 125 years after Tesla first reported signals that apparently emanated from the object. Numerous sightings and photographs of this other-worldly satellite continue to be reported by sky gazers from all over the world.

In late-2020, a video that purportedly showed the Black Knight Satellite hovering over Santa Rosa, in the Philippine province of Laguna, circulated on YouTube. The fuzzy video showed a brownish-red tinted object, with what appeared to be spikes emerging from an opening on its top, moving silently through the sky.

But former NASA engineer James Oberg said that most UFO sightings were nothing more than "space dandruff" floating in front of cameras. He argued that the human brain is not wired to make sense of such tiny objects in our skies.

Be that as it may, the shape of the object witnessed over the Philippines bore a striking resemblance to the alleged Black Knight Satellite photographed by NASA astronauts in 1998.

But as always, NASA scientists remain unmoved. They say people who regularly mistake birds, planes, weather phenomena and optical illusions for UFOs, are taking it a bit too far with the Black Knight topic.

Moreover, they raise a moot point regarding the improbability of a satellite floating below the clouds in our atmosphere, as the satellites closest to Earth orbit around 200 miles in space.

Skeptics and NASA insiders have long-charged UFO hunters of making exaggerated claims and fabricating conspiracy theories out of thin air. They allege that despite the lack of concrete evidence, Black Knight devotees combine a collection of disconnected stories, some bordering on the downright preposterous, into one fanciful narrative.

But by all counts, it seems alien theorists cannot be simply wished away. Not just are their numbers increasing day by day; but with the aid of the Internet, they are a global community that digs deep into declassified government documents, sharing information and images about UFO sightings and related events, and registering personal experiences online in real-time. Above all, they do not hesitate to question the official version of events.

Purpose of the Black Knight Satellite

Under the cover of darkness, the Black Knight Satellite that is estimated to weigh a whopping 15 tons, has stealthily watched the rise and fall of civilizations and cultures throughout the world.

Though it ranks as one of the most seen, heard, and photographed objects in space history, we have no clue why it is here; who or what is monitoring us; and for what purpose? Are we akin to animals under observation, as posited in the Zoo hypothesis?

Noted planetary scientist, Carl Sagan, had this to say about the Voyager Golden Record: “The spacecraft will be encountered and the record played only if there are advanced spacefaring civilizations in interstellar space.”

Renowned American astrophysicist and popular science writer, Carl Sagan, from an image of the Planetary Society. (NASA/JPL).

But what if these superior extraterrestrial entities choose not to respond, probably because they have already learnt everything there is to know about the ‘Pale Blue Dot’ we inhabit – the one that Voyager 1 photographed from 3.7 billion miles away in 1990?

While optimistically-minded people say the Black Knight Satellite was sent to raise our level of consciousness and technology, or maybe even to prevent us from destroying ourselves; others fear it is a weapon that could annihilate us or instigate an invasion by harvesting information about us and relaying that data to its planet of origin.

With so many divergent views on the subject, it is impossible to reach a definitive conclusion.

Are We Racing to Disclosure?

Alien enthusiasts say the flurry of activity on the UFO subject over the past few years is welcome, as it was long overdue. Dubbed tinfoil hatters and nutcases for decades, experiencers of the UFO phenomenon from across the world are now being taken far more seriously.

Astonishing Pentagon videos and photos of alien craft making inconceivable maneuvers; whistleblowers from the Air Force and Navy spilling the beans about their personal encounters before the US Congress; the declassification of material pertaining to historic events involving unidentified aerial phenomena, or UAP, as the US military has now rebranded them; and the heightened interest displayed by politicians and the media — all beg the question: is the public being prepared for imminent disclosure?

The stunning front-page article that sparked off the UFO craze worldwide. July 8, 1947. (Roswell Daily Record/Public Domain).

But wait: Is it that simple, or are we being readied for something else? The revelation that German-American aerospace engineer and space architect, Wernher von Braun, allegedly made on his deathbed is haunting: “And the last card they will play, will be the alien card.”

Is the Truth Out There?

In March 2017, a conspiracy theorist released a video claiming the Black Knight satellite had been shot down by a secret Illuminati war plane. Despite garnering hundreds of thousands of views opinion about the footage, available on YouTube, remains divided as its authenticity cannot be determined.

With superlative software technology, including AI, available to the public like never before, it is now easy to fake videos of alleged extraterrestrial craft and alien entities. Separating the wheat from the chaff has indeed become a Herculean task for researchers who earnestly pursue the UFO subject.

Denouncing such online gimmicks that spread disinformation, they lament that it not only enables naysayers to easily discredit their findings, but that it dents the hard work they invest to unravel the phenomenon.

In 2015, Pepsi released a short film titled ‘Black Knight Decoded’ with the claim that the Satellite’s “… origin can be traced back 13,000 years.” And then adding confidently, “This is not Science Fiction. This is real.”

Despite the Hollywood spin, the origin and purpose of the Black Knight Satellite has continued to perplex observers. Dismissing all talk of the Black Knight Satellite, NASA reiterates that photographs of the so-called object are wrongly interpreted.

Space scientists direct attention to the fact that if it was a spacecraft or satellite wheeling in polar orbit, it would have been travelling at 10 kilometers or 6.2 miles per second. At that remarkable speed, the STS-88 Endeavour crew couldn't have taken the number of images that they did.

Down to this day, the lack of official confirmation about the ominous satellite has fueled numerous conspiracy theories, making it one of the most debated enigmas in space exploration history.

No matter which side of the fence you are on, curiosity is an intrinsic human trait, more so when it concerns the many unknowns in the cosmos. The truth about the Black Knight Satellite, that clinching piece of evidence everyone is waiting for with bated breath, may elude us for now. But the quest for answers will continue forever.

Part One of this article can be read here.