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Eutelsat‘s recently launched 5B satellite suffered an incident related to one of its two solar panels. The company issued a brief statement on Thursday indicating it “is working to assess the potential impact on the performance of the satellite and will communicate on it as quickly as possible.” The satellite is slated to replace Eutelsat 5 West A which generated approximately €30 million in revenue for the company last fiscal year.
The company announced a successful insertion into orbit on 10 October following launch on a Proton M rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. The Airbus Defense and Space-built satellite completed the initial spacecraft systems checkout over a four hour period after the initial launch. The satellite hosts some 300 TV channels for users in Europe and North Africa. The satellite also hosts the GEO-3 payload of the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay System (EGNOS) to support improved positional accuracy for ships and aircraft. Finally, the system hosts a Ku-band payload of 35 equivalent 36 MHz transponders.
While the incident is unlikely to have an immediate direct impact on the inflight connectivity segment there is potential for spillover into the satellite launch market should an insurance claim be required.
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