The company claims that customers will not feel the consequences of problems
An “unexpected anomaly” has been detected on Inmarsat’s new communications satellite, the second in recent months for a Viasat-owned spacecraft, which could create new problems for the company.
Viasat, which completed its acquisition of Inmarsat in May, announced on Aug. 24 that the Inmarsat-6 (I-6) F2 satellite encountered a problem in its power subsystem while climbing into orbit after its February launch. The company did not specify the nature of the problem or when it occurred, but noted that a similar I-6 F1 satellite, launched in late 2021, is operating normally.
“At this stage, Viasat and Airbus, the manufacturer of the satellite, are working to determine the root cause of the anomaly and assess whether the satellite will be able to complete its mission,” Viasat said in a statement. The company called it an “unprecedented event” as no previous Airbus spacecraft had experienced an in-orbit failure. In February, a Falcon 9 rocket launched the I-6 F2 satellite into geostationary transfer orbit. The spacecraft was designed to use its electric propulsion system to achieve its final geostationary orbit over the Atlantic.
Viasat reports ‘unexpected anomaly’ and ‘unprecedented event’ with latest telecommunications satellite
Viasat claims that the satellite is not yet in service, so its loss will not affect customers: “The original mission of the I-6 F2 was essentially to provide backup L-band and four gigabits per second of additional capacity in Ka-band, which is consistent with the deployment and operation of a resilient, redundant network.”
The announcement comes six weeks after Viasat admitted there was a problem with the deployment of the main antenna on its U.S. satellite, ViaSat-3, launched April 30.
