According to the U.S. Space Force, the Intelsat 33e satellite has crashed in geostationary orbit. It happened on October 19.
Intelsat 33e was built by Boeing. It was the second in the EpicNG series, characterized by higher throughput. The satellite was launched in August 2016 and entered service in January 2017 at a point over 60 degrees East. This was about three months behind schedule due to a main engine failure.
In August 2017, Intelsat reported that the satellite used more fuel than it should while holding its position. Calculations showed that this anomaly, in addition to main engine failure, would reduce Intelsat 33e’s estimated 15-year service life by 3.5 years. As a result, the company filed a claim for a $78 million insurance indemnity.
As a result, Intelsat 33e didn’t even operate for ten years. On October 19, the U.S. Space Force announced the loss of the satellite. According to tracking data, it collapsed with the formation of at least 20 debris.
S4S has confirmed the breakup of Intelsat 33E (#41748, 2016-053B) ~0430 UTC. Currently tracking around 20 associated pieces – analysis ongoing.
— S4S_SDA (@S4S_SDA) October 20, 2024
Intelsat recognized the loss of communication with Intelsat 33e and said it was working with Boeing to fix the “anomaly” but believed it was unlikely the satellite could be recovered. The company’s customers in Europe, Africa and Asia-Pacific are currently being switched to other Intelsat fleet satellites or spacecraft operated by third parties. It is also reported that Intelsat 33e was not insured at the time of the problem.
As of now, it is not known what exactly caused the Intelsat 33e crash. But it’s worth noting that the first satellite in the EpicNG Intelsat-29e series, which Boeing also built, was recognized as a total loss in 2019 after just three years in orbit. The cause of the failure was then attributed to a fuel leak caused by either a meteorite impact or a wiring defect that led to an electrostatic discharge during a solar storm.
Earlier we reported on the explosion of the spent Centaur booster.
Provided by Spacenews
