Intelsat 29e hit by something

[MarkS]

The Intelsat 29e communications satellite (in geostationary orbit) has been hit by something - maybe debris.

Timelapse video here (impact occurs at 26sec)

https://youtu.be/aqPrVn71IqY

In turn it creates its own cloud of debris

Mark

[Carole]

Wow, I wonder how that got videoed?

Carole

[MarkS]

Wow, I wonder how that got videoed?

I wondered the same thing.  So I Googled ExoAnalytic and found they have a global network of small telescopes for monitoring satellites.  They sell their services to satellite operators, or anyone sending stuff into space.

Their Facebook page has the following quote:
"The Intelsat 29e problem comes amid a string of satellite issues in geostationary orbit."

Could it be linked to India's stupid experiment to use a satellite as target practice?
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2019/apr/02/a-terrible-thing-nasa-condemns-indias-destruction-of-satellite-and-resulting-space-junk

Mark

[Carole]

I think you may be right.  I did hear about that but didn't put two and two together.

Carole

[ApophisAstros]

Unless theres something else going on up there...???

Roger

[Carole]

Unless theres something else going on up there...???

[Hugh]

Worth looking at the link, as below, which was in the Youtube info.  Explains a little more to the background as the satellite had already started to drift and was being watched after giving trouble with loss of communications ~ may be an internal event was actually the cause.  I wonder if it was already tumbling which might explain why it dims prior to the obvious event at 26 secs?

https://arstechnica.com/science/2019/04/new-video-of-intelsat-29e-satellite-reveals-dramatic-anomaly/

Hugh

[RobertM]

That's very impressive satellite tracking !

[MarkS]

That's very impressive satellite tracking !

It's a geostationary satellite