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Space
Space
Science
David Crookes

The 'Black Knight' satellite: A 120-year-old conspiracy theory

Black Knight NASA Nikola Tesla Earth Space Station United States
Artist's illustration of the black knight satellite above Earth.

The Black Knight satellite conspiracy theory claims that a mysterious, artificial object is orbiting Earth in near-polar orbit, possibly of alien origin, and has been doing so for more than 13,000 years.

While scientists and space agencies have debunked the claim many times the Black Knight satellite myth persists in online forums and tabloid articles, fuelled by a jumble of unrelated space phenomena, misidentified objects and speculative science fiction.

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