: Eutelsat satellite ceases operation after disruption

A Eutelsat satellite over the Americas has ceased operations after experiencing an anomaly. The company noted in an announcement, “Eutelsat Group confirms that following an anomaly on its Eutelsat 113 West A satellite which occurred on 31st January, it has ceased operations on the satellite. Mitigation actions are underway to minimize the disruption to customers impacted, including accelerated transfer to alternative capacity on our satellites located at the 115° and 117° West positions.”

The news follows Eutelsat’s admission that its OneWeb Low Earth Orbit (LEO) network is “running behind schedule” due to ground station delays. “This reflects delays in the availability of the ground network, as well as a revenue mix more oriented than expected towards the sale of user terminals, which impacts margins,” the company said last week. “The delay in the ground network impacts revenues, especially in mobility and in certain geographies where market access is still outstanding.”

The company noted that the deployment of the ground network is “progressing well” and aiming for a 90 percent completion rate in second quarter of the year, but is still forcing the company to adjust its yearly forecast down.