China satellites ‘at risk’ as debris count from Intelsat explosion rises
Chinese weather, navigation and communications systems among hundreds of spacecraft in geostationary orbit that could be affected
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 was working with Boeing and government agencies to analyse data and observations of the “anomaly” that resulted in the total loss of the satellite.
Harvard astronomer Jonathan McDowell, who tracks space activities, said the satellite’s high altitude had 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 said. 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.
