Measat-3 continues to drift
July 19, 2021
By Chris Forrester
Malaysia’s Measat-3, still uncontrollably drifting westward in the geostationary arc, remains under continuous telemetry despite its anomaly. Boeing is investigating what might be the root cause of the problem which occurred on June 21st.
Meanwhile, almost all of its broadcast channels and customers have been reassigned capacity on other Measat or third-party satellites.
Space monitoring company ExoAnalytic Solutions reportedly suggest that the satellite appears to have made various attempts correct its situation. Various news reports say the craft is now tumbling in orbit.
A statement on July 17th from Measat said: “All the Measat-3 transponders have been deactivated to prevent interference with other satellites. Measat has also informed Combined Space Operations Centre (CSpOC) via Space-Track to track the Measat-3 satellite and notify other operators of the satellite’s orbital location, while the full investigation is being conducted by Measat and Boeing. A report on the outcome of the investigation will be released in due course”.
Measat-3 was due to be replaced next year with Measat-3D currently under construction by Airbus.