The satellite of the Intelsat company, which provides communication services, was unexpectedly destroyed and split into parts, reports PCMag. Experts speculate that this could have happened due to a collision with space debris from other satellites or an engine explosion.

The geostationary Intelsat 33e satellite had an "anomaly," the company, which provides Internet connections for governments, telecommunications and media companies, reported. At the time, Intelsat only reported that the satellite had lost power, causing a service disruption. However, the US Air Force reported debris near the satellite. "We are currently tracking about 20 pieces of debris and the situation is being analyzed," the US Space Force's satellite tracking unit told X.

According to astronomer and satellite tracking expert Jonathan McDowell, while the cause of Intelsat 33e's destruction is still unclear, there is a possibility that the satellite could have collided with pre-existing space debris, which caused its destruction. Another possible reason, in his opinion, could be the explosion of one of the components of the device.

Intelsat 33e was in orbit about 35,000 km above Earth. At the moment, its fragments do not pose an immediate danger, but in the long term it can become a source of danger. According to McDowell's calculations, 16 such incidents have already occurred in geostationary orbit at this height.

"I think the combination of all these debris incidents in geostationary orbit is starting to raise concerns about the risk of even small debris hitting other satellites, but I don't have a quantitative estimate," he said.

Intelsat has not yet issued an official comment on the incident. However, the company's initial statement said it was "working closely with Boeing, the company that manufactured the satellite, to resolve the issue." Intelsat 33e was launched in 2016 and began providing communications services to customers in Europe, Africa and parts of the Asia-Pacific region in 2017.