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High Speed Internet Forum / Service Providers / Satellite / US satellite on potential collision course
Posted:  18 May 2010 18:29

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A giant US communications satellite, probably hit by a solar flare on April 5, is drifting out of control and yet still beaming its powerful signals to the Earth below. More than 150,000 telemetry messages have been sent to try and ‘wake’ the satellite up. They have had zero affect.

The satellite, Intelsat’s Galaxy 15 craft, should be operating from 133 deg West broadcasting TV programmes to cable head-ends in the USA. The problem is the satellite is not communicating with its ground controllers following an April 5 “anomaly” that its builder Orbital Sciences thinks may be related to a massive Solar Flare that erupted on April 5.

The drift is steady and the craft not in any way tumbling. However, if the drift remains uncontrolled it will enter SES World Skies ‘airspace’ at 131 deg East, and affect – and threaten – AMC-11’s C-band transmissions. SES World Skies and Intelsat officials have held regular meetings since April 5 to keep each other informed and aware of the potential threat. Rob Bednarek, CEO at SES World Skies, told Space News, a specialist trade publication, that cooperation had been good. “We all realize that we could be in the same position tomorrow. We are neighbors in space.”

In three weeks time, according to current estimates, on May 23 the errant satellite will encroach on AMC-11’s orbital position and (if it continues on its current trajectory) exit on about June 7. SES World Skies will move its own satellite out of the way of Galaxy 15, probably to a marginally higher orbit, while allowing G-15 to slip safely by.

However, yesterday (May 3) Intelsat was scheduled to try one last attempt to regain control by sending a much more powerful signal up to the satellite. But experts say this attempt will not be repeated because of the risk of harming other craft in the vicinity.

If this attempt fails then likely the craft will continue its drift across the USA, passing other Galaxy satellites (G-13 at 127 deg W on July 13, G-14 at 125 deg W and G-18 at 123 deg W about mid-August). In time it will naturally drift towards a libration point, that position between the Earth and the Moon where the gravitational pull of both objects are equal and remain in that position for ever.

These two libration points at 105 deg West and 75 deg East contain, between them, around 160 dead satellites. G-15 will probably end up at 105 deg West, provided the other traffic in the Sky gets out of the way


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