Satnews Daily
September 12th, 2016

Intelsat Pushes Out The Intelsat 33e In Service Date


The Intelsat 33e satellite's solar arrays and antennas have been successfully deployed but a misfortune has occurred that will cause a delay for this craft's in-service delivery date.


Artistic rendition of the Intelsat 33e satellite on orbit.

Intelsat S.A. (NYSE: I) is having to adjust that date from the fourth quarter of 2016 to the first quarter of 2017, due to a primary thruster malfunction. This means the orbit raising process is going to take longer than had originally been planned. The satellite is expected to arrive on station for In Orbit Testing in December of this year. After completion of the In Orbit Testing, the satellite will be ready for service sometime in the first quarter of 2017.

Boeing, the satellite’s manufacturer, is presently working with the company to determine the cause of the thruster malfunction.

www.intelsat.com