Space warning from Russia: US satellite falling apart

Russian scientists said on September 10 that an American satellite partially disintegrated in orbit, endangering other spacecraft orbiting Earth.

According to the Keldysh Institute of Applied Mathematics at the Moscow -based Russian Academy of Sciences, the vehicle in question is the US geostationary communications satellite Galaxy 11, operated by satellite services company Intelsat, TRT Haber reports.

It was launched in 1999 as a backup to the Intelsat 802 satellite.

The scientists said the telescopes were tracking several small-sized fragments that left Galaxy 11 and now pose a potential threat to other satellites in orbit.

The Keldysh Institute suggested that the exact causes of the spacecraft's breakdown are currently unknown, but it may be a result of the ageing of its thermal insulation, solar panels or other equipment.