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Russian Satellite Failure Maybe Due to Impact |
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AT 0041 GMT on March 29th the Russian Satellite the Express-AM11 started indicating that the fluid circuit that is part of the thermal control system depressurised very rapidly which caused the electronics to fail. The satellite is being maneuvered into a big junk heap in the sky to make the space usable again.
The Satellites manufacture NPO-PM in Krasnoyarsky Krai, Russia, believes the depressurisation was triggered by an external impact on the spacecraft.
Nicholas Johnson, chief scientist and program manager for orbital debris at NASA's Johnson Space Center, says while possible, such an impact would be "exceptionally rare, it's not infrequently that when a spacecraft fails suddenly, spacecraft operators say we got hit by something."
The only case of a spacecraft being struck in such an orbit that he could recall was ESA's Olympus spacecraft which is believed to have been hit by a meteoroid in August 1993. he
The Express-AM11 was launched on April 2004 to handle T.V, radio, telephony, internet access and data transmissions.
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