A Boeing-made satellite has been deemed a “total loss” after it exploded into pieces in space over the weekend.
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According to the New York Post, the incident happened on Saturday, Oct. 19, when the Boeing-made satellite experienced an “anomaly,” causing it to explode.
“The anomaly previously disclosed on October 19 has resulted in the total loss of the Intelsat 33e satellite,” the satellite-powered communications company Intelsat shared in a statement. “We are coordinating with the satellite manufacturer, Boeing, and government agencies to analyze data and observations.”
The satellite reportedly exploded into at least 20 confirmed pieces. The U.S. Space Force is currently tracking all the pieces, noting that there are no “immediate threats.”
“U.S. Space Forces-Space (S4S) has confirmed the breakup of Intelsat 33E (#41748, 2016-053B) in GEO on October 19, 2024, at approximately 0430 UTC,” an alert posted on SpaceTrack, which is the U.S. Department of Defense’s space-tracking platform, revealed.
“Currently tracking around 20 associated pieces – analysis ongoing,” the alert also stated. “S4S has observed no immediate threats and is continuing to conduct routine conjunction assessments to support the safety and sustainability of the space domain.”
Intelsat has assembled a “Failure Review Board” to investigate the explosion.
Space News also reported that the satellite was supposed to have a 15-year lifespan. It was launched in Aug. 2016 and entered service in Jan. 2017.
The Boeing-Made Satellite Had Issues From the Beginning
The Boeing-made IS-33e satellite experienced several issues not long after its launch.
Space News revealed that the satellite went into service just three months after launching over a primary thruster issue. It also had a second propulsion issue during testing. This took off 3.5 years of its initial 15-year lifespan.
Intelsat 33e is notably the second in Intelsat’s EpicNG (next-generation) series of high-throughput satellites. The first, Intelsat-29e, was also deemed a total loss in 2019 after just three years in orbit.
Space News noted that the failure was ruled to be due to meteoroid impact or a flaw in the wiring, which led to an electrostatic discharge after what was known as heightened solar weather activity.
Meanwhile, Douglas Hendrix, CEO of ExoAnalytic Solutions, shared that the space-tracking company identified 57 pieces of debris associated with the breakup on Monday, Oct. 21.
“We are warning operators of any spacecraft that we think are at risk of collision,” Hendrix stated.
Intelsat further shared it is working to move customers to other satellites in Intelsat’s fleet or spacecraft operated by third parties.