Intelsat 33e, a geostationary (GEO) satellite that supports Ku-band inflight connectivity and other applications, experienced an anomaly on 19 October and is not recoverable, according to satellite operator and aero ISP Intelsat. The problem is affecting customers in Europe, Africa and parts of the Asia-Pacific region.
This is the second Boeing-made high-throughput “Epic” satellite to falter for the McLean, Virginia-based firm; in April 2019, Intelsat experienced the total loss of its Intelsat 29e spacecraft, which had powered connectivity for aeronautical, maritime, and wireless operators in the Latin America, Caribbean and North Atlantic regions.
Relative to Intelsat 33e, which launched in August 2016 and is also called IS-33e, Intelsat says the anomaly has in fact resulted in a total loss of the spacecraft, causing a loss of power and service to customers, and that it’s working closely with Boeing and government agencies to analyze data and observations.
“While we assess our fleet’s capacity as well as working with 3rd party providers to mitigate service interruptions, Intelsat representatives are in direct communication with all affected customers,” it says.
Space-Track.org, the US Space Command’s public website for sharing orbital data, says in a statement on X that it “has confirmed the breakup of Intelsat 33e” and is currently “tracking around 20 associated pieces”. Analysis is ongoing, it adds.
A Wikipedia entry about Intelsat 33e now refers to the satellite in the past tense.
The satellite’s loss is not just a blow to Intelsat but a chilling event for the broader GEO satellite community, which has encountered an unusually high number of anomalies in recent years. Intelsat’s competitor in the aeronautical space, Viasat, has grappled with a reflector deployment problem on its high-capacity ViaSat-3 Americas satellite, resulting in vastly reduced throughput and a massive insurance claim, as well as the failure of its dual-payload Inmarsat-6 F2 (I6 F2) satellite, triggering another insurance claim.
It also comes at a time when SpaceX’s Low Earth Orbit (LEO)-based Starlink Aviation service is making meaningful gains in the aero space, having recently snagged Air France, United and WestJet as full-fleet customers.
RGN sought additional comment from Intelsat and Panasonic Avionics, which in the past have used IS-33e to help power their GEO-based inflight connectivity solutions, 2Ku and eXConnect, respectively.
A Panasonic spokesperson tells RGN: “I can confirm that PAC is unaffected by the event with IS-33e as that satellite is not a part of our GEO network.”
IS-33e would have been in play for Intelsat’s next-gen multi-orbit LEO/GEO electronically steerable antenna (ESA)-based IFC offering, which is supported by its GEO satellite fleet and Eutelsat OneWeb LEO service, and is set to debut on several North American operators any day now.
Intelsat says a failure review board has been convened to complete a comprehensive analysis of the cause of the IS-33e anomaly.
Featured image credited to Intelsat
