The cause of the destruction of the European communications satellite Intelsat 33e with a high degree of probability is the explosion of fuel components.
This opinion was expressed by Nathan Eismont, lead researcher at the Institute of Space Research (ISR) of the Russian Academy of Sciences, in a conversation with TASS.
"The fact that it has collapsed in this way is an unpleasant event. Most likely the fuel exploded," Eismont said.
Intelsat 33e is based on a Boeing 702MP satellite platform equipped with binary chemical engines. The scientist said they could have used efficient but toxic fuel vapors of unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine (heptyl) and nitrogen tetraoxide. "The explosion in this case would have been quite loud," he notes.
Eismont added that all of the satellite fragments recorded so far have been catalogued - their trajectories can be predicted. "If your spacecraft can [collide with some of the debris] according to these predictions, well, you have to do an anticipatory maneuver," the scientist said. He noted that for geostationary satellites, emergency orbit adjustments are unusual but possible. | BGNES
