Jan 29 2009
Newly Launched Satellite Fails in Space
The new W2M communications satellite has failed just over a month after launch.
PARIS – The Eutelsat W2M telecommunications satellite – the inaugural product of a Euro-Indian commercial joint venture – has failed in orbit just five weeks after launch and is likely a total loss, industry officials said.
Paris-based Eutelsat, in a Jan. 28 statement, confirmed that W2M, launched Dec. 20, suffered “a major anomaly affecting the satellite’s power subsystem” and would not fulfill its role of replacing Eutelsat’s W2 satellite at the company’s 16 degrees east orbital position.
The W2 satellite at that orbital slot continues to work well, but is nearly 11 years old. Eutelsat said it now will replace W2 with the much larger W3B satellite scheduled for launch in mid-2010. [...]
Source: Space.com – click here for full article
