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A communications satellite designed and built by embattled aerospace giant Boeing has broken up in orbit.<\/p>\n
The satellite’s operator, Intelsat, has confirmed the “total loss” of iS-33e, which has affected customers in Europe, Africa and parts of the Asia-Pacific region. <\/p>\n
Intelsat also says it has taken steps to complete “a comprehensive analysis” of the incident. <\/p>\n
Boeing has been facing crises on multiple fronts, with a strike at its commercial plane business<\/a> and issues with its Starliner spacecraft<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n “We are coordinating with the satellite manufacturer, Boeing, and government agencies to analyse data and observations,” Intelsat said.<\/p>\n Boeing did not comment directly on the incident, referring BBC News to Intelsat’s statements.<\/p>\n The US Department of Defense’s space-tracking website, SpaceTrack, also confirmed the incident. <\/p>\n An alert on the platform said the US Space Forces also said it is “currently tracking around 20 associated pieces” of the satellite.<\/p>\n Separately, two astronauts have been stranded at the International Space Station (ISS) after the Boeing Starliner capsule they arrived on in June was deemed unfit to make the return flight. <\/p>\n They are due to travel back to Earth on a spacecraft made by Elon Musk’s SpaceX<\/a> next year.<\/p>\n Since last month, Boeing has also been dealing with a strike involving more than 30,000 workers at its commercial plane making operation. <\/p>\n Union members are set to vote on the company’s latest offer on Wednesday.<\/p>\n The new offer includes a 35% pay rise over the next four years.<\/p>\n Last week, Boeing announced it was seeking up to $35bn (\u00a327bn) in new funding. It also said it would start laying off 17,000 employees – about 10% of its workforce – from November.<\/p>\n