--- title: "This Boeing Satellite May Be About to Explode" description: "AT&T-owned satellite TV company DirecTV asked the FCC for permission to de-orbit one of its satellites that experienced a critical battery failure." date: "2020-01-24" modified: "2020-01-24" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/boeing-satellite-explode" categories: - "Boeing" - "Space" tags: - "boeing" - "satellite" - "satellites" - "the digest" --- # This Boeing Satellite May Be About to Explode ![AT&T-owned satellite TV company DirecTV asked the FCC for permission to de-orbit one of its satellites that experienced a critical battery failure.]() *\Image: Boeing\* ## Satellite Explosion AT&T-owned satellite TV company DirecTV has [asked]() the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for permission to "conduct emergency operations" to move a satellite that may be about to blow up, [*Space News* reports](). The fear is that a battery malfunction might cause the Boeing-built satellite to explode. An explosion in an already-busy orbit chock full of other satellites could spell disaster in the form of a devastating cascade of orbital shrapnel. ## Just Venting In a [request]() to the FCC filed on January 19, the company said that once sunlight is no longer available for solar charging starting February 25, the satellite will have to resort to using its damaged batteries — risking a "catastrophic battery failure." The FCC requires all licensed satellite owners to vent onboard propellant — thereby reducing chances of an explosion — before moving satellites into what's called the ["graveyard orbit,"]() an altitude above operational satellite orbit where companies dispose of their junk, according to *Space News*. ## Graveyard Orbit The problem is that DirecTV has only one month to vent its propellant — a process that typically requires at least two to three months, according to the FCC filing. Therefore, DirecTV is asking the agency "for special temporary authority to de-orbit the Spaceway-1satellite and for a waiver of the fuel venting requirement." **READ MORE:** [DirecTV fears explosion risk from satellite with damaged battery]() \[*Space News*\] **More on satellites:** *[Experts Call for System Preventing Satellite Collisions]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()