An artist’s rendering of the I6 satellite in orbit.
inmarsat
a second viasat The company said on Thursday that a communications satellite has malfunctioned in orbit, this time from the fleet of recently acquired UK-based Inmarsat.
The I6 F2 satellite, which was launched by Inmarsat in February, suffered a failure in its power system while climbing into orbit where it had planned to serve as a backup.
Airbus built the satellite and is working with Viasat to assess whether the satellite can be retrieved for use.
A person familiar with the matter told CNBC that the satellite’s chances of recovery are slim.
Viasat said the I6 F2 issue “does not impact ongoing customer services,” and is also not expected to “materially impact the financial outlook.” The company gave in August.
The satellite glitch that Viasat inherited after it closed its $7.3 billion acquisition of Inmarsat in May comes weeks after the Carlsbad, California-company revealed that its much-anticipated, $750 million ViaSat-3 US satellite malfunctioned,
Viasat is assessing how to address the “unanticipated challenges” presented by the ViaSat-3 Americas problem.
I6-F2 was Neither orbit raising nor commissioning process started As yet.
Viasat noted that the I6 F1 satellite is operational and operating as expected. That satellite was launched in December and provides communication services over the Indian Ocean.