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from the just-need-to-borrow-Marvin's-Illudium-Q-36-Explosive-Space-Modulator dept.
DirecTV is scrambling to move a broken Boeing satellite out of its standard orbit in order to limit the risk of "an accidental explosion."
As Space News reported today, DirecTV asked the Federal Communications Commission[(pdf] for a rules waiver so it can "conduct emergency operations to de-orbit the Spaceway-1 satellite," which is at risk of explosion because of damage to batteries. The 15-year-old Boeing 702HP satellite is in a geostationary orbit.
DirecTV, which is owned by AT&T, is coordinating with Intelsat on a plan to move Spaceway-1 into a new orbit. DirecTV already disabled the satellite's primary function, which is to provide backup Ka-band capacity in Alaska. The satellite can operate on power reserves from its solar panels, but that won't be possible during the coming eclipse season
[...] DirecTV described its plan as "de-orbiting" and moving the satellite into a "disposal orbit," which would suggest bringing it closer to Earth and letting it burn up in the atmosphere. But the filing also says the new orbit will be "300km above the geostationary arc," which would make it a graveyard orbit. Assuming that's the case, Spaceway-1 would remain indefinitely in an orbit that's well above other geostationary satellites. We've asked AT&T for clarification on this point.
Also at: https://www.digitaltrends.com/news/directv-satellite-could-explode-in-space/
(Score: 2) by ElizabethGreene on Sunday January 26 2020, @01:47AM
This is a big spacecraft, clocking in at over 6 tons. They don't have enough propellant to deorbit it. Graveyard orbit is the best we can hope to reach. I'd love to send it on a low delta-v trajectory to impact the moon, but I haven't run the numbers to see if it can make it. My guess is that even if it wasn't all explode the answer would be "no"
The cause of the battery issue is unknown and the most likely explanation is a micrometeoroid impact. I don't know how we can blame rhymes-with-not-going for that. It's not like the satellite has a MCAS system. :)