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A communications satellite built by Boeing exploded into pieces while orbiting in space — resulting in a “total loss” of the device used to serve customers across Europe, Africa and parts of the Asia-Pacific region.
The company that purchased the satellite from Boeing said its IS-33e satellite was completely out of commission on Monday after first stating it experienced an “anomaly” on Saturday.
“The anomaly previously disclosed on October 19 has resulted in the total loss of the Intelsat 33e satellite,” the satellite-powered communications company Intelsat said in a statement. “We are coordinating with the satellite manufacturer, Boeing, and government agencies to analyze data and observations.”
The satellite has split into at least 20 confirmed pieces of space junk that US Space Forces is tracking, according to an alert. There are no immediate threats, the federal agency said.
Intelsat has convened a “Failure Review Board” to investigate the cause of the explosion.
The satellite — which was supposed to have a 15-year lifespan, according to Space News — was launched in August 2016 and entered service in January 2017, the company said.
From the beginning, the Boeing-built IS-33e had issues.
It went into service three months later after an issue with its primary thruster and a second propulsion issue during testing took off 3.5 years from its initial lifespan, the industry publication reported.
Intelsat lost another Boeing satellite, called IS-29e, in 2019, according to Space News. The cause of its destruction — just three years after its launch — was never fully determined, but was believed to have been the result of either a wiring issue or a meteorite collision.
Boeing has faced increased scrutiny over the past year for countless problems with its 737 MAX jets as well as its failed Starliner mission — which stranded two NASA astronauts in space over what was supposed to be an 8-day mission due to thruster issues.
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