In June 2025, astronomers detected a 30-nanosecond radio burst originating from the NASA satellite Relay 2, inactive for nearly six decades.
The signal, identified by Clancy James' team at Curtin University, was so intense it briefly outshone everything else in the night sky.
Researchers determined the burst had a width of less than 30 nanoseconds and a flux density of at least 300 kJy, with the source identified as the old NASA satellite Relay 2.
The team speculates a collision or a massive electrostatic discharge could be the cause, given the orbital debris.
This detection could become a new method for assessing such phenomena in space, especially with the increase of space debris and vulnerable satellites.