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Satnews Daily
October 9th, 2011

Telesat... Away, Anomaly, Away... (Satellite)


[SatNews] All is now back in order aboard the Anik F2 satellite...

Telesat has confirmed that, following a technical anomaly that occurred on its Anik F2 satellite early yesterday (October 6th), customer services on Anik F2 were restored late last evening and over night. Satellite anomalies such as the one that affected Telesat’s Anik F2 yesterday are highly unusual. This particular anomaly was the result of a software error encountered during a routine maneuver which triggered the satellite to place itself into a safe mode, shutting itself down and pointing itself at the sun to ensure it remained powered.  The software error that led to the anomaly appears to have been caused by a software update that was recently provided by the satellite manufacturer.  That particular software update was not re-loaded onto the satellite.

Telesat is a global fixed satellite services operator providing reliable and secure satellite-delivered communications solutions worldwide to broadcast, telecom, corporate and government customers. The company has a state-of-the-art fleet of 12 satellites with three more under construction, including the Canadian Ka-band payload on ViaSat-1, and manages the operations of additional satellites for third parties. Telesat is headquartered in Ottawa, Canada, with offices and facilities around the world. Privately held, Telesat’s principal shareholders are Canada’s Public Sector Pension Investment Board and Loral Space & Communications Inc. (NASDAQ: LORL).