Runaway satellite poses threat to other satellites’ broadcasting ability

Space News : Galaxy 15, a telecommunications satellite that was supposed to have shut itself off after going into an uncontrolled drift, continues to operate. The satellite went out of control in April and has been drifting in geostationary orbit ever since, posing potential broadcast interference problems to other satellites. Intelsat, the company responsible for Galaxy 15, had assumed the satellite would be forced to shut down because it would be unable to point its solar arrays at the Sun. Instead, it has taken advantage of time spent in Earth’s shadow to slow down the draining of its momentum system, thus extending its electronically active life. Intelsat is still hoping to recover the satellite’s full use after the company completely shuts it down and then restarts it during the period when its solar arrays are pointed to the Sun.