MOSCOW, October 22. /TASS/. Russia's automated system for warning of risky situations in near-Earth space has detected more than 80 fragments of the European Intelsat 33e communication satellite that fell apart on Saturday, Roscosmos told the media. The debris pose a potential threat to nearby vehicles.
"A significant increase in the number of space objects in the orbital plane of the lost Intelsat 33e telecommunication satellite has been identified. Roscosmos specialists have spotted more than 80 fragments," the news release reads.
The destruction of the satellite, which occurred on October 19, was instant. The obtained data regarding the Intelsat-33e debris indicate that there is a potential threat to all operating spacecraft, including the geostationary orbital cluster of the Roscosmos state corporation, the news release reads.
On Saturday, the SpaceNews portal, citing the Intelsat operator company, reported that the Intelsat-33e geostationary satellite had lost power, which caused its complete shutdown. It added that work was underway with the satellite's manufacturer, Boeing, but it was unlikely that the satellite would be recoverable. According to the portal, the US Space Command was monitoring about 20 pieces of debris associated with the spacecraft.
Roscosmos also said Monday that Russia's near-Earth space hazardous situations warning system had detected about two dozen unidentified space objects near the spacecraft's position in orbit.