Credits: Social Media
Astronomers are baffled by mysterious�signals that shadow�Chinese spaceplane�in
Amateur astronomers are baffled by the mysterious signals that are seemingly following an equally as mysterious Chinese spaceplane.�
When the words space and mystery pop up in the same sentence, our minds naturally jump to aliens. But sometimes, the ominous truth is a lot closer to home. Nonetheless, a recent flight from Chinese officials has left people across the other side of the globe wondering what the hell is going on.�
No one knows why the plane is flying
Earlier this month on December 14, the spacecraft Shenlong took off from China into the atmosphere. This was the third journey for the vehicle, but no one on this side of the globe really knew its true mission.�
Chinese media earlier reported that: “The test spacecraft will operate in orbit for a period of time and then return to a scheduled landing site in China.
“During this period, reusable technology verification and space science experiments will be carried out as planned to provide technical support for the peaceful use of space.”
The spaceplane has some followers
While the spacecraft itself was to be expected, the six small objects it released were not. The drone-sized objects are now being tracked by several organisations and amateur astronomers. Satellite tracker Scott Tilley took to Twitter, now called X, to discuss his findings and reveal that they seem to be emitting data.�
We have confirmation of S-band signals from the 3rd Chinese ‘spaceplane’ mission, he wrote on the social media platform. However, this time the ‘mysterious wingman’ emitter is only sending signals intermittently but it is fading deeply like earlier missions.
Further speaking to Space.com, he said: “OBJECT A’s or nearby emission is reminiscent of earlier Chinese space plane ‘wingman’ emissions in the sense the signal is modulated with a limited amount of data.
“There is speculation that the emission from OBJECT A may be from an object close to it, but this is speculation not based on any evidence I’m aware of.”
The spaceplane seems to be interested in a particular area
While speaking to the South China Morning Post, Scott then explained how the objects are drawn to a particular part of the world.�
“Im seeing a pattern in its radio emissions while over me and it appears to favor low-elevation western passes,” he speculated. “This could indicate a clandestine ground station on the west coast of North America or on a ship off the coast.”
