Story perspectives

Zombie Satellite LES-1 Revived After Decades in Orbit

10/15/2025

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Summary

Story summary

In 1965, the US Air Force and MIT's Lincoln Laboratory launched the Lincoln Experimental Satellites (LES-1 and LES-2), the first super-high-frequency satellites.
LES-1 ceased transmission in 1967 due to miswiring.
In 2013, an amateur radio astronomer detected LES-1's signal, reviving interest and dubbing it a "zombie satellite."
The Lincoln Laboratory speculates that an electrical short may have allowed LES-1 to transmit again, with LES-1 still in orbit.

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Story summary

In 1965, the US Air Force and MIT's Lincoln Laboratory launched the Lincoln Experimental Satellites (LES-1 and LES-2), the first super-high-frequency satellites.
LES-1 ceased transmission in 1967 due to miswiring.
In 2013, an amateur radio astronomer detected LES-1's signal, reviving interest and dubbing it a "zombie satellite."
The Lincoln Laboratory speculates that an electrical short may have allowed LES-1 to transmit again, with LES-1 still in orbit.