SCP-2146
The Space Whale
Special Containment Procedures
SCP-2146 is presently commonly known as DDUSAT-12, and is on record as a defunct communications satellite owned by Defense Design United, a holding of Standard Communications Production, a Foundation front company.1 Due to its size and location, recovery or containment is presently thought infeasible.2 MTF-Mu-19 ('the Star-Struck') have been covertly inserted into various astronomical societies in order to identify any potential breaches of the anomaly. Individuals who discover SCP-2146 are to be either administered Class-B amnestics or discredited, as is appropriate for the situation.
The transmissions known as SCP-2146-1 are presently impossible to suppress3; however, as the content of said transmissions is typically profoundly innocuous, it is considered a low-level threat. The transmissions are to be monitored, and these procedures may be modified if the transmissions ever begin to exhibit anomalous or otherwise dangerous properties or content. Complaints to government organizations responsible for telecommunications regulation are to be monitored. The present cover story regarding SCP-2146-1 is that it is a pirate radio station broadcast by an avant-garde art movement.
Description
SCP-2146 is the frozen corpse of an adult specimen of Balaena mysticetus (the Bowhead Whale), which is presently in Medium Earth Orbit (MEO). Its orbital path is circular with an inclination of 146 degrees (retrograde), and its orbital period is 19.6 hours.
The object is approximately 17.5 meters in length, and while its gender is presently unknown, it is (due to its size) statistically more likely to be a female instance of the species. Its estimated weight is approximately 30 tons, one-third that of a healthy specimen of its species, due to desiccation. In addition, the object has suffered significant corrosion from micro-impacts, and is deeply cracked in a manner consistent with limited heat exchanges and radiation exposure typical in a vacuum environment.
Once every Synodic Lunar month (29.5 days), SCP-2146 begins broadcasting radio signals, presently designated SCP-2146-1. These broadcasts range in duration from 2.5 to 18 minutes. It is presently unknown how SCP-2146 transmits these broadcasts; telescopic viewing has not shown any sign of radio-capable equipment on SCP-2146.
These broadcasts vary widely in both content and format: some appear to be documentaries, others appear to be science fiction dramas (often of the space opera variety), others seem to be children's shows, and others are songs or poems. These broadcasts only feature an audio track, and in every case, features an entity presently referred to as SCP-2146-2, who narrates, acts in, or sings the content of SCP-2146-1. No other voices have yet been heard in SCP-2146-1 transmissions.
The SCP-2146-1 transmissions often feature unusual and occasionally disturbing content; however, SCP-2146-2 is always cheerful to the point of jocularity in the broadcasts. Its voice seems to be that of a middle-aged, deep-voiced man, and has been noted to speak in a number of languages, including English, French, Norwegian, Russian, and Inuktitut.
SCP-2146-1 transmissions contain one other unifying feature: in every case, the contents deal with a 'space whale,' a space-based Cetacean; however, the features, motivations and characterization of this creature changes with each broadcast.
No information as to how SCP-2146 came to be located in Earth orbit has yet come to light. No launches involving Bowhead Whales, or of a size capable of transporting an intact Bowhead Whale, are presently known to the Foundation.
Discovery: SCP-2146 was discovered in 19██, after a number of civilian complaints in several developed nations in the Northern Hemisphere were linked by Foundation Analytical personnel. These complaints were generally directed towards government offices that regulated telecommunications, and always involved bizarre and disturbing radio show content. The signal, later designated SCP-2146-1, was used to triangulate the location of its source, SCP-2146. Fortunately, developing telecommunications, and a subsequent increase in both radio traffic and artificial orbital bodies have rendered SCP-2146 and its transmissions much more difficult to isolate. See above for the present containment procedures.