Loss of Satellite Cuts Antarctic and Pacific Communications

Can anyone say ooops!

Interesting, the reports I read on this solar flare, was that it was going to miss the earth, guess not.

video www.stevequayle.com...

January 18, 2005
New Zealand Herald

The "total loss" of a US$73 million ($106.19 million) satellite on Saturday morning left several Pacific Islands and Scott Base in Antarctica without telephone communications to the outside world.

The Bermuda-registered Intelsat IS-804 Satellite, on which Telecom New Zealand rents capacity, moved out of alignment and was lost at 11.32am on Saturday, leaving Scott Base, the Cook Islands, Western Samoa, American Samoa, Chatham Islands, Solomon Islands, Kiribati, Niue, Vanuatu, Tokelau, Tuvalu and Tonga without communications to other countries.

Scott Base has access to emergency-only back-up services through the United States' McMurdo Base.

www.stevequayle.com...

Intelsat Loses Satellite After Problems

Jan 17, 2005 — NEW YORK (Reuters) - Satellite operator Intelsat Ltd. has lost a satellite following an unexpected electrical power problem, less than two months after electrical problems ruined another satellite.

The event is the latest blow for the world's No. 2 communications satellite operator, after a satellite malfunction in November had threatened to abort the company's planned $3.1 billion sale to private equity investors.

Private equity group Zeus Holdings, which has the right to pull out of the deal because of the latest event, is evaluating the impact of the satellite failure, Intelsat said in a statement late on Sunday.

abcnews.go.com...

Originally posted by SIRR1
Can anyone say ooops!

Interesting, the reports I read on this solar flare, was that it was going to miss the earth, guess not.

video www.stevequayle.com...

January 18, 2005
New Zealand Herald

The "total loss" of a US$73 million ($106.19 million) satellite on Saturday morning left several Pacific Islands and Scott Base in Antarctica without telephone communications to the outside world.

The Bermuda-registered Intelsat IS-804 Satellite, on which Telecom New Zealand rents capacity, moved out of alignment and was lost at 11.32am on Saturday, leaving Scott Base, the Cook Islands, Western Samoa, American Samoa, Chatham Islands, Solomon Islands, Kiribati, Niue, Vanuatu, Tokelau, Tuvalu and Tonga without communications to other countries.

Scott Base has access to emergency-only back-up services through the United States' McMurdo Base.

www.stevequayle.com...

Intelsat Loses Satellite After Problems

Jan 17, 2005 — NEW YORK (Reuters) - Satellite operator Intelsat Ltd. has lost a satellite following an unexpected electrical power problem, less than two months after electrical problems ruined another satellite.

The event is the latest blow for the world's No. 2 communications satellite operator, after a satellite malfunction in November had threatened to abort the company's planned $3.1 billion sale to private equity investors.

Private equity group Zeus Holdings, which has the right to pull out of the deal because of the latest event, is evaluating the impact of the satellite failure, Intelsat said in a statement late on Sunday.

abcnews.go.com...

Oops indeed -

In a shameless plug (for one of my posts) have a look here:
www.abovetopsecret.com...

There was a big CME that would have kicked stuff around a treat ...

Originally posted by SIRR1
Can anyone say ooops!

The oops is not having a hot onstation spare in service in almost no time at all.. I mean satellites fail, but you should have on orbit spares.. hell even NOAA GOES satellites have on orbit spares (one for GOES East and one for GOES West)...

I like love saying 'on orbit spares' by the way.. just sounds soooo freaking cool

Osiris

I´ve heard that 3 NASA satellites have all gone in "Safe mode" because of bombardments from the Sun.

Deep Impact, Spitzer and MAP

Originally posted by Hellmutt
I´ve heard that 3 NASA satellites have all gone in "Safe mode" because of bombardments from the Sun.

Deep Impact, Spitzer and MAP

Not horribly uncommon.. and there was warning of a large flare last week.

Osiris

The Antartic is the last place I want to hear "Hey, the phone went dead"

Originally posted by Shadowflux
The Antartic is the last place I want to hear "Hey, the phone went dead"

I can think of a worse place.. in the whitehouse on the phone to NORAD

That would be *bad* news...

Osiris