An Intelsat communications satellite built by Boeing exploded and broke up in geostationary orbit. Intelsat confirmed the news in a press release, declaring the satellite “a total loss.” The US Space Force said it was tracking about 20 parallel fragments but had “not seen any immediate threats” to other satellites so far (Roscosmos said it was tracking 80 fragments). The cause of the explosion is not yet known, but the news is another blow to Boeing following the failed Starliner test flight, problems with the 737 Max and delays to the 777x.
Intelsat said it is working to move customers to some of its satellites or third-party spacecraft. “A failure review board has convened to complete a detailed investigation into the cause,” the company wrote. The satellite was not insured, said a spokesperson for the department SpaceNews.
Fragments of the explosion could still be harmful to other satellites. “The problem is that there is a lot of uncertainty about the orbit of these pieces at the moment,” said a spokesman for Spaceflux, a UK company that tracks objects in orbit. “It could be harmful to other satellites but we don’t know that yet.”
Intelsat 33e is one of six “EpicNG” satellites built by Boeing, and uses the latest 720MP satellite platform equipped with 16 hydrazine-powered engines built by Aerojet Rocketdyne. The type is widely used in telephone, internet and satellite TV/radio services.
It entered service after three months due to a problem with its main thruster, and another propulsion problem reduced its service life by 3.5 years. EpicNG’s first satellite, Intelsat 29e, was declared a total loss in 2019 after just three years in service, reportedly due to a meteoroid impact or wiring fault.
Source link
