Intelsat today said it would delay the launch of Intelsat Americas-8 until completion of the investigation of what caused the Intelsat Americas-7 to go dark on Nov. 28.

Sea Launch LLC scheduled the IA-8 for launch on Dec. 17. Intelsat has been working with IA-7 manufacturer Space Systems/Loral to determine the cause of the anomaly. Intelsat did not offer a timeframe for the investigation completion, but it said “the complexity of the event means it may take several months to deliver a final report.” Intelsat Spokeswoman Jodi Katz told Satellite Today that the IA-8 launch would not occur until the report is delivered.

Katz added that the Sea Launch ship carrying the rocket and the IA-8 satellite to its equatorial launch site in the Pacific Ocean had not yet left port and Intelsat would not incur a penalty from Sea Launch for delaying the launch.

Intelsat added that 22 transponders on IA-7 have been tested, are performing normally and are available to be put back into service.

How all of this will effect Intelsat’s acquisition by Zeus Holdings Ltd. remains unclear. Intelsat reiterated in its latest announcement that Zeus has the option to cancel its acquisition of Intelsat “if the loss is not remedied in accordance with the terms of the agreement with Zeus.” Intelsat said Zeus is continuing its evaluation of impact of the failure and the launch delay on the acquisition.