Intelsat 6 Gets Remote Boost to High, Safe Orbit

A stranded $150-million satellite was brought to life by remote control and successfully boosted into a higher, long-term orbit today, giving engineers time to determine if a shuttle rescue mission is feasible.

Dean Burch, director general of the 118-nation International Telecommunications Satellite Organization, owner of the Intelsat 6 spacecraft, said today the errant relay station is no longer in any immediate danger of a fiery plunge back into Earth’s atmosphere.

“Last night, Intelsat completed the maneuvers that we have been working on day and night for the last 48 hours to move the Intelsat 6 satellite from a relatively low orbit above the Earth into a higher parking orbit,” he said in a statement.

The communications satellite, stranded in a useless orbit Wednesday after a malfunction, “can now be maintained over the coming months while Intelsat explores options for a rescue of the mission.”

Among the options under consideration is a shuttle rescue flight to either repair the spacecraft, possibly by bolting on a replacement booster rocket, or return it to Earth.

Intelsat 6’s orbit was raised by firing the spacecraft’s on-board liquid-fueled rocket motors. Prior to the firing sequence, the satellite was in an orbit with a low point of about 104 miles and a high point of 224 miles.

As of today, its orbit measured 161 miles by 276 miles, high enough to be relatively immune to the effects of atmospheric friction for months to come.