This Ariane 5 rocket carried Intelsat 33e and Intelsat 36 into space in 2016. | Photo by JODY AMIET/AFP via Getty Images
A communications satellite built by Boeing has fallen apart while in orbit, as reported earlier by Jalopnik. On Saturday, Intelsat said its 33e satellite stopped working due to an “anomaly” before confirming its “total loss” on Monday.
“We are coordinating with the satellite manufacturer, Boeing, and government agencies to analyze data and observations,” Intelsat said. The company has since established a board to conduct a “comprehensive analysis of the cause of the anomaly.”
The satellite’s breakup doesn’t have great timing for Boeing, following the company’s troubled Starliner mission and a criminal fraud charge over 737 Max plane crashes,
The US Space Force also confirmed the incident:
U.S. Space Forces-Space (S4S) has confirmed the…