Intelsat reported the total loss of Intelsat 29e, which was the first its EpicNG high-throughput satellite (HTS) platform.
Late on April 7, the Intelsat 29e propulsion system experienced damage that caused a leak of the propellant on board the satellite resulting in a service disruption to customers on the satellite. While working to recover the satellite, a second anomaly occurred, after which all efforts to recover the satellite were unsuccessful.
Intelsat 29e (IS-29e), which was launched in January 2016, offered high throughput Ku- spot beams in the Americas to meet broadband demand for carrier-grade telecom and enterprise connectivity as well as the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean coverage for dense aero and shipping routes. It also offered a transatlantic Ku- wide beam overlay and provided efficient broadcast capabilities for in-flight entertainment. C-band wide beam provides full South American continent coverage for media distribution. Boeing served as the prime contractor.
Intelsat said that since the anomaly, it has been working with affected customers. Restoration paths on other Intelsat satellites serving the region and third-party satellites have been provided for a majority of the disrupted services. Migration and service restoration are well underway; highlighting the resiliency of the Intelsat fleet and the benefit of the robust Ku-band open architecture ecosystem.
