Boeing-Made Intelsat 33e Satellite Explodes in Space, US Space Force Tracks Debris

The eight-year-old satellite by Intelsat known as the 33e has recently exploded in space, and it is now bringing back the satellite maker, Boeing, into the mix as it is being investigated for what caused the recent incident. The US Space Force is now heading this investigation of the incident, as well as tracking the space debris left behind by the satellite's explosion.

Currently, Boeing is going through challenging times where its recent space mission saw a turn for the worst, as well as significant scrutiny on its airplanes that saw massive crashes, joined by a new issue.

Boeing-Made Intelsat 33e Satellite Explodes in Space

Boeing

A new press release from Intelsat revealed that its 33e satellite which first launched in 2016 is now gone, with the company claiming that the previously discovered issue resulted in a "total loss" of the satellite. Initially, the company notified its customers that this specific satellite saw an "anomaly" last Saturday, October 19, when it suffered from power loss, and led to service disruptions for customers.

Since then, the company has already worked with Boeing, the 33e satellite's maker, to address the problem and hopefully find a fix. However, not long after the anomaly was discovered and made known, Boeing's satellite exploded in space.

For now, Intelsat has formed its 'Failure Review Board' which will investigate what happened with the satellite up to the point when the company lost it, but it assures customers that it is now working on restoring its services to affected customers in Africa, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific region.

US Space Force Tracks 33e's Space Debris

Apart from Intelsat's investigation, the US Space Force (S4S) is also joining the probe where it would track the Boeing-made 33e satellite's space debris. The S4S also confirmed that Intelsat's 33e satellite exploded in its location in the geosynchronous orbit (GEO), claiming that it is monitoring as many as 20 pieces of the satellite's remnants.

Space Force also revealed that the satellite's pieces are not 'immediate threats' to other satellites or spacecraft that are in its proximity.

Boeing is Facing Massive Scrutiny

Throughout the years, Boeing has proven itself as one of the top corporations that develop aircraft, spacecraft, and more, with the company getting massive NASA and military contracts for their technology. However, a recent spacecraft from Boeing known as the Starliner, faced huge issues during its first crewed flight to the International Space Station where it was stuck for several months until it eventually left the astronauts for its solo return.

However, the controversy behind Boeing did not end there as the company's commercial airplane known as the 737 Max saw two prolific crashes in 2018 and 2019, holding the corporation accountable for what happened. The DOJ case saw Boeing settle the charges against them, as it was revealed that the company was found guilty of the felonies linked to the said accidents.

Boeing's development of the Starliner already saw massive delays for many years, and 2024's planned crewed test flights for the spacecraft also saw several pushbacks on its launch dates until its eventual June blastoff. Now, Boeing is entangled in another space-related issue of an 8-year-old satellite that Intelsat bought from them, with this spacecraft serving as its communications infrastructure, now in pieces.