spacetoday.net: Intelsat 19 suffers solar array problem

Posted: Sun, Jun 3, 2012, 9:30 AM ET (1330 GMT)
Intelsat 19 illustration (SS/L)

One of the two solar arrays of a newly-launched communications satellite for Intelsat failed to deploy properly, the company announced late Friday. Intelsat said that one of the arrays on its Intelsat 19 satellite did not deploy as planned shortly after launch early Friday. Intelsat and the satellite's manufacturer, Space Systems/Loral (SS/L), are studying the problem. If the array is not deployed, the spacecraft's operations could be seriously impaired because of the limited power available to it from the single working array. Another SS/L-built satellite, Estrela do Sul-2, also had problems deploying a solar array after launch last year; the operator, Telesat, eventually received an insurance payout because of the reduced capacity and lifetime of the satellite.