During Orbcomm’s second quarter (Q2) 2017 results call, 3 August, it was revealed that three different ORBCOMM OG2 (second generation) spacecraft have suffered anomalies, all resulting in a loss of communications. The particular spacecraft involved have not yet been identified by the company.
Corporate logo of Orbcomm Inc. Courtesy of Orbcomm.
The first anomaly occurred during April, affecting a satellite that has previously suffered from a solar array anomaly in 2016. This new anomaly caused a loss of communications with the satellite. As of 3 August the company say that recovery attempts are still ongoing. The other two spacecraft, although not specifically identified, don’t appear to have a history of anomalies. Communications was lost with the second OG2 satellite – launched December 2015 – in June, with the third satellite – launched July 2014 – being affected in July.
Orbcomm are continuing to investigate the causes of these anomalies and the possibilities of recovering the spacecraft. In the event that the spacecraft are not recoverable, the company states that the remaining fleet capacity will still be “multiple times more capable than current demand…”. Orbcomm isn’t intending to file any insurance claim against these spacecraft owing to the fact that they were only covered for launch plus one year.
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