Narrowed eyes are again on Boeing following the apparent explosion of a Boeing-made communications satellite on Saturday. Operator Intelsat confirmed the "total loss" of the satellite on Monday. Intelsat 33e, launched in 2016, was estimated to have a 15-year lifespan, though a propulsion issue in 2017 shaved a few years off of that, reports the Verge. The unexpected breakup left some customers in Europe, Africa, and parts of the Asia-Pacific region without communications services, per the BBC and CBS News. Intelsat said it was working with other providers to limit the disruptions.
The US Space Force confirmed the breakup, saying it was tracking "around 20 associated pieces" of the satellite in space but saw "no immediate threats." (Such debris can damage other satellites or spacecraft.) Satellite-tracking company ExoAnalytic Solutions said it was monitoring 57 pieces of debris, per SpaceNews, while Russia's space agency said it had recorded "more than 80 fragments," per CBS. Roscosmos said its analysis showed the breakup was "instantaneous and high-energy."
"We are coordinating with the satellite manufacturer, Boeing, and government agencies to analyze data and observations," Intelsat initially said before establishing a board to conduct a "comprehensive analysis of the cause of the anomaly," per the Verge. Another of Intelsat's Boeing-made satellites, Intelsat 29e, was declared a total loss in 2019 after just three years in orbit. "That failure was pinned on either a meteoroid impact or a wiring flaw that led to an electrostatic discharge following heightened solar weather activity," Space News reports. It notes Intelsat 33e wasn't insured. (More satellite stories.)
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