News: 0175313133

  ARM Give a man a fire and he's warm for a day, but set fire to him and he's warm for the rest of his life (Terry Pratchett, Jingo)

Boeing-Made Satellite Explodes In Space (cbsnews.com)

(Thursday October 24, 2024 @03:00AM (BeauHD) from the can't-catch-a-break dept.)


"Boeing has had a series of issues over the past few years," writes Slashdot reader [1]quonset . "From [2]planes crashing , [3]lost service records , to a recent strike which [4]cost them $6 billion , now comes word a satellite they made [5]has exploded in space ." CBS News reports:

> The Intelsat 33e satellite, which was [6]launched in 2016 and provides communications across Europe, Asia and Africa, experienced "an anomaly" on Saturday, Intelsat said in a [7]news release . Attempts were made to work with Boeing and repair the satellite, but on Monday, the U.S. Space Force confirmed that the satellite had exploded. The satellite's breakup left some customers without power or communications services. Intelsat said it is working with third-party providers to limit service interruptions, and is in communication with customers.

>

> Since the breakup, the U.S. Space Force is now tracking "around 20 associated pieces" of the satellite in space. The agency said that there are "no immediate threats" and routine assessments to ensure safety are ongoing. Russia's space agency, [8]Roscosmos , said it had recorded "more than 80 fragments" of the destroyed satellite. Analysis of the pieces' trajectory determined that the destruction of the satellite was "instantaneous and high-energy," Roscosmos said.



[1] https://slashdot.org/~quonset

[2] https://news.slashdot.org/story/24/07/08/0421238/boeing-will-plead-guilty-to-fraud-related-to-fatal-737-max-crashes

[3] https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/boeing-admits-it-cant-find-work-records-for-panel-that-blew-out-on-alaska-airlines-flight

[4] https://apnews.com/article/boeing-earnings-strike-vote-new-ceo-af6c6dab8747d5b8189df97a55e6b8d9

[5] https://www.cbsnews.com/news/boeing-satellite-intelsat-33e-explodes-space-anamoly/

[6] https://www.intelsat.com/resources/blog/the-launch-of-intelsat-33e-let-the-campaign-begin/

[7] https://www.intelsat.com/newsroom/intelsat-reports-is-33e-satellite-loss/

[8] https://vk.com/wall-30315369_575391



Innovation Demands Space (Score:2)

by thesjaakspoiler ( 4782965 )

Not that much space where multiple parts are scattered all over our stratosphere?

[1]https://www.militaryaerospace.... [militaryaerospace.com]

[1] https://www.militaryaerospace.com/commercial-aerospace/article/14229019/intelsat-33e-satellite-launched-into-orbit-with-advanced-digital-payload-anti-jam-and-other-security-features

Power? (Score:3)

by YuppieScum ( 1096 )

> ...left some customers without power...

Did I miss the memo that mentioned that power delivery from orbit was now a thing?

Or did someone actually design a terrestrial power network that depends on telecoms provided by a single-point-of-failure that cannot be reached to repair?

Re: (Score:2)

by bleedingobvious ( 6265230 )

This is the piece that stood out for me.

If so, everyone involved in the decision needs a corrective smack.

incorrectly summarised (Score:2)

by kalieaire ( 586092 )

[1]https://www.intelsat.com/newsroom/intelsat-reports-is-33e-satellite-loss/ [intelsat.com]

The satellite experienced an anomaly on October 19, resulting in a loss of power and service to customers. We are working closely with Boeing, the satellite manufacturer, to address the situation. Based on the information available to us, we believe it is unlikely that the satellite will be recoverable.

[1] https://www.intelsat.com/newsroom/intelsat-reports-is-33e-satellite-loss/

Re: (Score:2)

by korgitser ( 1809018 )

I heard the door fell off...

Re: (Score:2)

by bleedingobvious ( 6265230 )

We just need to drag it outside the environment!

Re: (Score:3)

by bleedingobvious ( 6265230 )

> resulting in a loss of power and service to customers.

So, as usual, terrible communication skills.

Better rewritten as "a loss of power, affecting service delivery to customers"

put parentheses. (Score:1)

by hmilz ( 3035377 )

mathematically speaking "... resulting in a (loss of power) and (service to customers)."

Re: Power? (Score:1)

by Ilove_Noname ( 8919879 )

Could be in a remote region where this was the only available connection. I'm guessing the need for a connection is due to the scada in play, really a lot of things are now setup to require a connection for no reason. In an odd kind of way it's no different the john deer and their current business model :/

Hanlon's Razor (Score:1)

by hmilz ( 3035377 )

Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity. I am pretty sure this has nothing to do with this: [1]https://www.nationalgeographic... [nationalgeographic.com]

[1] https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/russia-just-blew-up-a-satellite-heres-why-that-spells-trouble-for-spaceflight

Re: (Score:1)

by sxpert ( 139117 )

nah, intelsat 33e was in a geostationary orbit. way too far for this sort of missile

radar performance pissing match ? (Score:1)

by sxpert ( 139117 )

* the U.S. Space Force is now tracking "around 20 associated pieces" of the satellite in space.

* Russia's space agency, Roscosmos, said it had recorded "more than 80 fragments"

translation: "our Russian radars are much better than yours"

Re: (Score:1)

by saloomy ( 2817221 )

Or that the US is tracking 20, but Russia has seen a total of 80 but not actively tracking them? I doubt they are lying, they get recorded into a space debris catalog.

Re: (Score:1)

by Black Parrot ( 19622 )

> translation: "our Russian radars are much better than yours"

Or maybe merely "it's worse than they say it is!", which is pretty common in international "dialog".

Impact (Score:1)

by stevenaaus ( 895385 )

> destruction of the satellite was "instantaneous and high-energy"

Probably colided with space junk or rock.

Re: (Score:2)

by ShanghaiBill ( 739463 )

> Probably colided with space junk or rock.

That's possible, but it was in geosynchronous orbit, far above where Kessler junk is normally a problem.

If it was a collision, that should be obvious from the net momentum of the debris.

Meteor? (Score:2)

by backslashdot ( 95548 )

I mean that's bad luck .. I meancc I am not an experts, but it sounds weird for a satellite to explode like that after 8 years.

Probably (Score:2)

by dhaen ( 892570 )

Those discounted lithium batteries

If Machiavelli were a programmer, he'd have worked for AT&T.