EchoStar 3 Satellite Suffers Anomaly During Orbital Transfer

During EchoStar 3’s transfer to a new orbital location last week, the satellite experienced an anomaly of unknown origin that has interrupted communications, EchoStar said in an Aug. 2 statement.

EchoStar is working alongside Lockheed Martin — the satellite’s manufacturer — to establish a link to recover and retire the spacecraft, said Derek de Bastos, EchoStar’s Chief Technical Officer (CTO). “In spite of the anomaly, we believe that the current EchoStar 3 orbit does not present a significant risk to the operating satellites in the geostationary arc,” he added.

EchoStar 3 is a Ku-band satellite that provided coverage over the United States. The satellite, launched in 1997, has already significantly exceeded its 15-year design life. It has been operating in an inclined orbit for more than three years as a non-revenue generating asset, according to EchoStar.

This incident comes just days after an SES satellite, its second this summer, also experienced an unknown anomaly. NSS 806 lost 12 transponders following the incident.