DirecTV satellite in danger of exploding
Posted: Sat, Jan 25, 2020, 11:30 AM ET (1630 GMT)
DirecTV fears one of its satellites could explode because of a battery malfunction. The company informed the FCC its Spaceway-1 satellite suffered an unexplained anomaly in December that caused "significant and irreversible thermal damage" to its batteries. The company says the satellite is relying solely on power directly generated by its solar panels, but will start experiencing eclipses in its geostationary orbit in late February that will require it to use its batteries, risking a "catastrophic battery failure." The company says it's working to decommission the satellite by Feb. 25, when those eclipses will start, but will not be able to deplete all of the spacecraft's onboard fuel by then. Spaceway-1 is a Boeing 702 satellite launched in 2005 that was serving as a backup to DirecTV's other satellites.
DirecTV fears one of its satellites could explode because of a battery malfunction. The company informed the FCC its Spaceway-1 satellite suffered an unexplained anomaly in December that caused "significant and irreversible thermal damage" to its batteries. The company says the satellite is relying solely on power directly generated by its solar panels, but will start experiencing eclipses in its geostationary orbit in late February that will require it to use its batteries, risking a "catastrophic battery failure." The company says it's working to decommission the satellite by Feb. 25, when those eclipses will start, but will not be able to deplete all of the spacecraft's onboard fuel by then. Spaceway-1 is a Boeing 702 satellite launched in 2005 that was serving as a backup to DirecTV's other satellites.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
Blue Origin describes plans for increased New Glenn launch rates
Posted: Sat, Oct 17 11:41 AM ET (1541 GMT) |
|
news links
|
|
Sunday, October 18
Exercise helps astronauts’ hearts handle months in space, boosting prospects for Mars
Northwestern Univ. — 5:12 pm ET (2112 GMT) Infostellar Selected for METI’s Global South Future-Oriented Co-Creation Project
Infostellar — 1:12 pm ET (1712 GMT) Meridian Space Successfully Activates its First Communications Payload in Orbit
GlobeNewswire — 1:11 pm ET (1711 GMT) Voyager Awarded $22.4M DoW Contract for Next-Gen Satellite Deployment Systems
Voyager Space — 1:10 pm ET (1710 GMT) Alexander Dahm named new CEO of Rocket Factory Augsburg
Rocket Factory Augsburg — 1:10 pm ET (1710 GMT) |
