Space News for Sunday, October 20, 2024

Intelsat 33e loses power in geostationary orbit

Original Publication Date: 2024-10-20 02:29

Intelsat 33e has lost power in geostationary orbit. The satellite is no longer providing communications for customers across Europe, Africa and parts of Asia Pacific. Intelsat said it is working with satellite maker Boeing to address the anomaly. The satellite was not insured at the time of the issue.

Connecting the Dots | The next connectivity frontier: A universal 5G broadband terminal

Original Publication Date: 2024-10-18 12:00

Intelsat is working with Softbank to integrate satellites with roaming agreements cellular companies use to keep subscribers connected from country to country. The partnership is one of the first practical steps Intelsat has taken toward 5G. It comes a few months after 3GPP approved plans to work Ku-band satellite spectrum into a future update for the 5G standards.

Liftoff! NASA’s Europa Clipper Sails Toward Ocean Moon of Jupiter

NASA’s Europa Clipper has embarked on its long voyage to Jupiter, where it will investigate Europa, a moon with an enormous subsurface ocean that may have conditions to support life. The spacecraft launched at 12:06 p.m. EDT Monday aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from Launch Pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. After launch, the spacecraft plans to fly by Mars in February 2025, then back by Earth in December 2026, using the gravity of each planet to increase its momentum.

Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS Arrives from Afar

Comet C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS likely traveled from the outer reaches of our solar system. It made its closest transit past the Sun on September 27 and was expected to come within approximately 70 million kilometers (44 million miles) of Earth on October 12. An astronaut captured this photo of the comet on September 19, 2024.