Produced by: Tarun Mishra Designed by: Manoj Kumar
The enigmatic tale of the "Black Knight" satellite resurfaced with an article from Mail Online in 2021, reigniting interest in this long-standing alien conspiracy theory.
Originating over a century ago, the Black Knight myth centers around an alleged extraterrestrial spacecraft orbiting Earth, drawing upon disparate pieces of evidence to fuel speculation of government cover-ups and NASA secrecy.
Early associations with the Black Knight satellite theory stem from peculiar radio signals, but it was images captured during the STS-88 space shuttle mission in 1998 that sparked widespread interest and debate.
Images released by NASA during STS-88 depicted a mysterious black object near the International Space Station, later identified as a thermal cover lost during a spacewalk.
James Oberg, a former NASA engineer, debunked the Black Knight theory, attributing the images to mundane space debris and equipment malfunctions.
Despite Oberg's explanation, conspiracy theories surrounding the Black Knight persist, fuelled by selective interpretation of evidence and disregard for scientific reasoning.
Speculation surrounding Tesla's detection of unusual radio signals in 1899 has been intertwined with the Black Knight myth, although scientists believe these signals were likely of terrestrial origin.
Norwegian engineer Jørgen Hals' observations of long delayed echoes in the 1920s added another layer to the conspiracy, with some suggesting they could be signals from an alien probe.
The resurgence of interest in UFOs, particularly with the US military's acknowledgment of unidentified aerial phenomena, has further fuelled curiosity about the Black Knight satellite, despite its debunked origins.