The Intelsat 33e satellite suddenly broke apart in Earth’s orbit, creating a cloud of 20 pieces of debris.

A satellite from communications services company Intelsat unexpectedly malfunctioned and fell apart, PCMag reports. Experts suggest that this could have happened due to a collision with space debris from other satellites or due to an engine explosion.

Image source: intelsat.com

Geostationary satellite Intelsat 33e experienced an “anomaly,” according to the company, which provides Internet communications for governments, telecommunications firms and media companies. At that time, Intelsat only briefly notified that the satellite had lost power, causing a service outage. However, the US Air Force recorded the appearance of debris near the satellite. “We are currently tracking approximately 20 pieces of debris and analysis of the situation is ongoing,” the US Space Force satellite tracking unit said on X (Twitter).

While the cause of Intelsat 33e’s destruction remains unclear, there is a possibility that the satellite may have collided with pre-existing space debris, causing its destruction, astronomer and satellite tracker Jonathan McDowell has suggested. Another possible reason, in his opinion, could be an explosion of one of the components of the device.

Intelsat 33e was in orbit at an altitude of about 35,000 kilometers from Earth. At the moment, its debris does not pose an immediate threat, but in the long term it could become a source of danger. According to McDowell’s calculations, 16 identical cases have already occurred in geostationary orbit at this altitude. In this regard, he notes: “I think the combination of all these debris events in geostationary orbit is starting to raise concerns about the risk of even small debris hitting other satellites, but I don’t have a quantification.”

Intelsat has not yet given an official comment on the incident. However, the company’s initial statement said it was “working closely with Boeing, the satellite’s manufacturer, to resolve the issue.” To recap, Intelsat 33e launched in 2016 and began providing telecommunications services in 2017 to customers in Europe, Africa and parts of the Asia-Pacific region.