Israel’s Spacecom is hopeful of getting all engines on its Africa-focused Amos-5 satellite back online after its manufacturer found an alternative power supply.
The spacecraft faced losing 11 months of life and a partial insurance claim before ISS…
Israel’s Spacecom is hopeful of getting all engines on its Africa-focused Amos-5 satellite back online after its manufacturer found an alternative power supply.
The spacecraft faced losing 11 months of life and a partial insurance claim before ISS Reshetnev of Russia found a way to activate all eight engines.
According to the manufacturer’s report, it is possible the workaround will result in no loss of life for the satellite launched in 2011, Spacecom told the stock exchange today.
It is the second time Amos-5 has suffered anomalies with its propulsion sub-system, and the company’s share price has fallen around 30% since the issues were announced on 21 October.
Marsh is the spacecraft’s broker and it was launched by Russia’s International Launch Services on December 2011 to 17E, where it serves broadband and DTH operators in Africa.
Industry sources have suggested that at the annual in-orbit renewal of its insurance policy, some insurers may have secured an exclusion to exclude any losses due to the propulsion system.
The satellite holds the first commercial version of ISS Reshetnev’s Ekpress-1000N platform, and saw the group move away from its usual partner Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI).
