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Another space junk item: Boeing satellite mysteriously disintegrated!

byadmin
October 23, 2024

The Intelsat 33e satellite of the US-based global aerospace company Boeing, which is in orbit around the Earth, mysteriously disintegrated and was added to the pile of space junk. The incident began when the satellite suddenly lost power, and the US Space Force confirmed that it broke into at least 20 pieces.

US-based global aerospace company Boeing continues to be on the agenda with its negative news. Finally, a communications satellite manufactured by Boeing mysteriously broke apart.
The incident, which occurred on October 20, affected communications users in Europe, Central Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Australia, and began when the Intelsat 33e satellite suddenly lost power about 35,000 kilometers above the Indian Ocean. The U.S. Space Force confirmed hours later that the satellite had broken into at least 20 pieces.
Intelsat 33e, manufactured by Boeing in 2016, was placed into orbit to provide broadband internet service. However, the satellite was delayed by three months in reaching orbit and was reported to have completed its lifespan 3.5 years earlier than planned due to problems with its propulsion system.
The company therefore filed an insurance claim for $78 million. However, it was reported that the satellite was not insured at the time of the disintegration. Intelsat is currently investigating the cause of the problem, but we may not know the exact cause.
The disintegration of Intelsat 33e has increased the danger in orbit by adding a new piece of space debris. According to data from the European Space Agency (ESA), there are more than 40 thousand pieces of space debris larger than 10 cm and 130 million pieces smaller than 1 cm in orbit around the Earth. The total mass of man-made objects in orbit is around 13 thousand tons, and one-third of this mass is recorded as space debris. The majority of the new particles cannot be observed from the ground with current technology, and this poses a serious threat to other satellites. It is emphasized that space debris must be constantly monitored.
The liability for debris formed in space belongs to the country that sent the object, based on the 1972 Convention on International Liability for Damage Caused by Space Objects. In practice, however, the responsibility remains weak.
As more satellites are sent into space, the congestion in orbit is expected to increase. In order to prevent similar incidents in the future, satellites need to be deorbited in a controlled manner and space debris needs to be minimized. For example, ESA’s Cluster 2 “Salsa” satellite was safely destroyed in September. NASA, on the other hand, has begun planning for the deorbit of the International Space Station, which is due to expire in 2030, estimating that it could create more than 220 million pieces of debris if it disintegrates.
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