MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. -- The Oct. 19 failure and breakup in geostationary orbit of the Boeing Satellite Systems-built Intelsat IS-33e satellite bears a superficial resemblance to the sudden failure in 2019 of IS-29e, which was also a Boeing 702MP model.
The situation continues to evolve. The US Space Force's initial identification of about 20 objects from the IS-33e breakup is now moving to about 40, raising issues for satellites along the geostationary arc. Boeing issued the following responses on Oct. 21 to initial questions about the failure.