Millions of viewers around the world tuned in on Sunday to see the Denver Broncos take on the Carolina Panthers in the NFL's 50th Super Bowl. However, it seems that football fans aren't the only ones who had their eyes on the game after all.
The Associated Press reported on Monday that a North Korean satellite flew above the Levi's Stadium at Santa Clara where Super Bowl 50 was held, about an hour after the game.
The North American Aerospace Command (NORAD), which is tasked to monitor the aerospace over the United States, confirmed that North Korea maintains two satellites that are now orbiting Earth.
According to the report, the satellite that flew over the Super Bowl stadium was the newest of the Kwangmyongsong (Shining Star) satellites from the communist country.
NORAD has given the satellite launched on Sunday the catalog number 41332 and is now monitoring its movement around the globe. A similar orbital probe that was sent into space in 2012 was assigned the catalog number 39026. Both weigh in at about 220 pounds and are considered observation satellites.
Pyongyang said the Kwangmyongsong satellites are tasked to collect data on the weather, as well as map forest distributions and natural resources for agricultural purposes.
The state-operated media in North Korea said experts at the State Hydro-Meteorological Administration were delighted at the success of Sunday's launch.
Ryu Pong Chol, deputy director of the agency, reportedly said the satellite will provide a significant boost to weather forecasters in the country. However, this claim remains to be proven.
Outside observers have yet to confirm the capabilities of two previously launched North Korean satellites to transmit signals after reaching orbit. It is believed that these probes were not stable enough to broadcast any signal back to Earth.
The new Kwangmyongsong satellite has also not made a broadcast of any signal as of yet. Researchers are trying to look for any possible transmissions by the satellite but it is not clear what exact frequency it is using.
Astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell from the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics pointed out that four objects related to the North Korean satellite launch in 2012 are still following their orbits. These include the satellite itself and the final state of its rocket.
McDowell added that if the previous satellite was ever able to transmit any signals it is likely that it did so only for a few hours.
