On October 19, Intelsat reported significant service disruptions for customers in Europe, Africa, and parts of Asia-Pacific due to a power loss in the IS-33e satellite.

The Intelsat 33e communications satellite, which was positioned at 60 degrees East, broke apart in geostationary orbit after this unexpected power failure, resulting in additional space debris.

The U.S. Space Force confirmed the breakup of the satellite and is currently tracking around 20 pieces of debris, although they assured that there are no immediate threats to other spacecraft.

While the exact cause of the satellite's breakup remains uncertain, it may be related to an explosion in its propulsion system.

Intelsat, in collaboration with Boeing Space Systems, is addressing the situation but considers it unlikely that the satellite will be recoverable.

In response to the disruptions, Intelsat is transitioning affected customers to other satellites within its fleet or to third-party spacecraft.

The company is actively communicating with affected customers to provide updates and assess its fleet capacity to minimize service interruptions.

Although collisions in geostationary orbit are less frequent than in low Earth orbit, the limited maneuverability of GEO satellites increases the risk posed by growing debris.

Typically, geostationary satellites have an average lifespan of 15 to 20 years, but the IS-33e's operational life was cut short due to this incident.

IS-33e was the second satellite in Intelsat's EpicNG series, designed for high-throughput capabilities, and it began service in January 2017 after being launched in August 2016.

At the time of the power loss, the satellite was uninsured, according to an Intelsat spokesperson.

Astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell highlighted that there have been 16 breakup events in or near geostationary orbit, raising concerns about collision risks with small debris.