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TECH SPACE
Solar storm created 'zombie' satellite
by Staff Writers
Washington (UPI) Jul 13, 2010


disclaimer: image is for illustration purposes only

U.S. scientists say they've identified a massive solar storm that reached Earth and caused a satellite to malfunction, turning it into a "zombie satellite."

A NASA sun-watching spacecraft observed the explosion of plasma and magnetic energy, called a coronal mass ejection, on April 3, SPACE.com reported Tuesday.

Charged particles in the solar storm disabled the Galaxy 15 communications satellite, causing it to lose contact with ground controllers on April 5, officials said.

While the satellite has stopped communicating with its ground control center, its telecommunications payload providing broadcast services to customers is stuck on, earning it the "zombie satellite" nickname, SPACE.com said.

The now-uncontrolled electronic signal from Galaxy 15 has forced other communications satellites to conduct occasional evasive maneuvers to avoid signal interference, officials say.

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EchoStar XV Satellite Successfully Performs Post-Launch Maneuvers
Palo Alto CA (SPX) Jul 13, 2010
Space Systems/Loral (SS/L) has announced that the EchoStar XV satellite, built for DISH Network L.L.C., is performing post-launch maneuvers according to plan. The satellite deployed its solar arrays late Saturday night and early Sunday morning following its successful launch on Saturday from the Baikonur Space Center in Kazakhstan aboard an ILS Proton Breeze M launch vehicle provided by In ... read more


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