Intelsat IS-33e Declared a Total Loss
Company Confirms Breakup of Spacecraft in GEO
Intelsat has confirmed that an anomaly previously disclosed on October 19 has resulted in the total loss of the Intelsat 33e satellite. The company is coordinating with the satellite manufacturer, Boeing, and government agencies to analyze data and observations. A Failure Review Board has been convened to complete a comprehensive analysis of the cause of the anomaly.
Since the anomaly, Intelsat has been in active dialogue with affected customers and partners. Migration and service restoration plans are well underway across the Intelsat fleet and third-party satellites.
Intelsat initially announced a service outage on the Intelsat 33e satellite. The satellite experienced an anomaly on October 19, resulting in a loss of power and service to customers.
IS-33e was designed and manufactured by Boeing Space Systems. It was launched in August 2016 and entered service in January 2017. It is located at 60 degrees East. The delay in entry into service was caused by an issue with the satellite's main propulsion system. A second thruster issue was noted during on-orbit testing.
The breakup of the satellite was acknowledged by the U.S. Space Force, which said in a statement that it was tracking about 20 pieces of debris associated with the breakup. The Space Force said it "observed no immediate threats and is continuing to conduct routine conjunction assessments to support the safety and sustainability of the space domain.”