More debris has been detected from the Intelsat 33e communications satellite that disintegrated over the Indian Ocean, threatening hundreds of satellites in geostationary orbit, including those operated by China.
Advertisement
The 6,600kg (14,600lb) satellite – built by Boeing for Virginia-based Intelsat to provide internet and phone services across Europe, Africa and the Asia-Pacific region – broke apart at around noon Beijing time on Saturday, according to the US Space Force.
Around 20 fragments were initially tracked but the number has grown to more than 80, according to reports from commercial companies as well as the Russian space agency Roscosmos.
The satellite, which was around 36,000km (22,236 miles) above the Earth when it broke up, was roughly the size of a shipping container and had experienced thruster and propulsion issues since its launch in 2016, according to Intelsat.
The company said on Monday that it is working with Boeing and government agencies to analyse data and observations of the “anomaly” that resulted in the total loss of the satellite.
Advertisement
Harvard astronomer Jonathan McDowell, who tracks space activities, said that the satellite’s high altitude has made the break-up harder to monitor, but there was “definitely” some risk to other satellites.
“It’s hard to assess how bad it is yet,” he told the South China Morning Post via email on Thursday. According to McDowell, the incident could have been caused by a collision with space debris or an internal event, such as a propulsion system explosion.