Propulsion Problem Leaves New Eutelsat Satellite Unusable

Eutelsat will be unable to use its just-launched W3B satellite due to a leak in the satellite’s propulsion system, the company said Friday. Soon after the satellite launched, the company learned of the debilitating leak in one of two propellant tanks, which has left the satellite unable to reach the necessary orbit. The satellite will remain in transfer orbit until Eutelsat and the satellite’s maker, Thales Alenia, decide what to do with it, said Eutelsat. The company declined to say how much it paid for the Ku- and Ka-band satellite and launch. Arianespace launched the satellite from French Guiana on an Ariane 5 launch vehicle.

Eutelsat will likely recoup its manufacturing and launch costs, which are covered by its insurance, it said. The company will use its satellites at 16 degrees east, Eurobird 16, W2M and SESAT 1, to handle its customers in the region. W3B was supposed to take over all traffic in the region, to allow Eutelsat to move the three satellites. The revenue related to the new satellite wasn’t insured, said a Eutelsat spokeswoman. It’s uncertain how much revenue will be lost as a result of the problem, but it’s not enough to change the company’s earnings guidance, the company said. Thales Alenia, working with Eutelsat on how to handle the satellite, didn’t respond to a request for comment. One option is to use the remaining propellant to push the satellite well above the geostationary arc, to so-called “graveyard orbit.” The Eutelsat spokeswoman said nothing has been decided and it’s unclear how long the companies have to make up their minds.

Eutelsat’s W3C satellite, in production and expected to launch in July, will fill in where W3B was supposed to in the 16 degrees east neighborhood, said Eutelsat. Additionally, the company has initiated the process to build a new satellite to compensate for the W3B capacity loss, it said. Satellites in that neighborhood currently provide TV services to central Europe and to islands in the Indian Ocean. The W3B was also supposed to accommodate data and telecom communications in sub-Saharan Africa, in a new service for Eutelsat, the spokeswoman said. The company is looking into all alternatives to provide that service and help its other customers affected by the damaged satellite, the spokeswoman said. She declined to detail the alternatives being considered.

The launch itself didn’t have any problems and the BSAT-3b broadcasting satellite that was onboard the same launch vehicle is working fine, said Lockheed Martin, BSAT-3b’s builder. That satellite will provide TV services over Ku-band for the Broadcasting Satellite System Corp. of Japan from 110 degrees east.