### Intelsat-33e Breakup: Another Setback in Satellite Operations

Astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell from the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics briefly mentioned Intelsat's recent breakup on X. This event adds to Intelsat-33e's rocky history, having struggled with propulsion issues that reduced its operational lifespan from 15 years to 12.5 years as of 2017, per SpaceNews.

Prior to this, Intelsat faced another significant setback with its Intelsat-29e satellite, which failed in 2019 after just three years in service. The company later linked the failure to potential wiring issues exacerbated by higher solar activity and radiation, or possibly due to a micrometeoroid collision.

The breakup of Intelsat-33e, while notable, doesn't pose a risk to communications satellites operating in much lower Earth orbits. Notably, SpaceX’s Starlink constellation of approximately 6,400 satellites orbits at just 342 miles (550 kilometers) above Earth, which is significantly lower than the orbit of Intelsat-33e.

Elizabeth Howell, Ph.D., has covered these developments since joining the spaceflight channel staff in 2022, following a decade of contributing to Space.com. Elizabeth's extensive reporting portfolio includes exclusives with high-level offices and historical coverage of human spaceflight launches. She holds advanced degrees in Space Studies and various qualifications from Canadian universities.

In addition to her reporting, Elizabeth Howell teaches communications and science at several institutions, integrating Indigenous content into an astronomy course at Canada's Algonquin College since 2020. Her interests in space were sparked after watching the movie "Apollo 13" in 1996, and she still aspires to travel to space someday.