‘Space Particle’ Slams Into Spain’s New Communications Satellite High Above Earth
The fate of Spain’s newest communications satellite is up in the air.
SpainSat NG-2 was the second military communications satellite launched for Spain last year. It was on its way to an operational location ingeostationary orbitwhen it was struck by a “space particle,” according to aJan. 2 statementfrom Indra Group, the majority stakeholder of Hisdesat, which owns and operates the SpainSat NG-2 satellite on behalf of Spain’s Ministry of Defense.
SpainSat NG-1 also launched on aFalcon 9heading to orbit last January. The Airbus-built 2-billion-euro ($2.3 billion USD) pair of satellites was designed as an “advanced government communications system in Europe,”according to Airbus. Since its launch in October, SpainSat NG-2 has been slowly making its way toward geostationary orbit, but its status since the collision remains unknown.
According to Indra Group, the space particle impact occurred at about 31,000 miles (50,000 kilometers) in altitude. That’s higher than geostationary orbit, which lies 22,236 miles (35,786 km) aboveEarth.
“Hisdesat implemented a contingency plan to ensure that the Ministry of Defense and other clients are not affected,” Indra Group said in the statement.
“The technical team is analyzing the available data to determine the extent of the damage,” the statement continued. “If necessary, SpainSat NG-2 will be replaced as soon as possible.”
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Author:[email protected] (Josh Dinner)
Published on:2026-01-06 03:00:00
Source: www.space.com
Disclaimer: This news article has been republished exactly as it appeared on its original source, without any modification.
We do not take any responsibility for its content, which remains solely the responsibility of the original publisher.
Author: uaetodaynews
Published on: 2026-01-06 00:41:00
Source: uaetodaynews.com
