'Farrah Fawcett' Spy Satellite Blows Up

A Cold War relic with a Hollywood nickname has blown up in orbit. The US Space Force has confirmed that spy satellite USA-32, also known as Farrah III, once part of a secret National Reconnaissance Office program nicknamed after Farrah Fawcett, suddenly broke apart on Sept. 13, scattering debris roughly 480 miles above Earth, Gizmodo reports. Classified as a "fragmentation event," the breakup's cause is unknown; experts say possible culprits include an explosion of leftover fuel, a failed battery, a meteor strike, or a collision with existing space junk.

The satellite, launched in 1988 to scoop up Soviet radio and radar signals, had long since gone dark, though it was still being tracked as of 2021. Space Force says there's no sign of an attack and no immediate risk to other spacecraft, but the new debris adds to a growing space junk hazard in a cluttered area of low Earth orbit. Spaceweather.com reports that there are around 200 active satellites within 30 miles of Farrah III's altitude. It's not clear how many fragments the satellite shattered into.