Peter B. De Selding of Space Intel Report has reported that the Measat-3 satellite looks to be in trouble. Read here.
The operator of the satellite MEASAT Global Berhad released a press release on 26 June stating that they had observed an anomaly on 21 June but, that it had been resolved by 24th. They then followed up with a further statement on the 27th outlining that in fact there was still “intermittent service degradation recorded” and that they would require additional time to fully resolve the problem.
At the time of reporting TLEs revealed that the issue with the spacecraft was quite serious. Measat-3 which had been located at 91.5 degrees East since its launch in December 2006 had drifted to 85.5 degrees East – by 14 July. Figures generated from the TLEs also show that the satellites apogee and perigee remain largely unchanged meaning it may pose a danger to other inhabitants of the “GEO belt”.
An artist’s impression of the Measat-3 satellite in-orbit. Courtesy of Boeing Satellite Systems
Comment by Matt Wilson: Measat-3 was based on the Boeing 601 satellite bus and was rapidly approaching the end of its 15 year design life in December this year. Reports from Malaysia and the observable drift in the GEO belt suggest that some anomaly has affected the propulsion system on the satellite. The satellite was reportedly still insured at this time and these developments may signal a total or near-total loss claim in the future.
