The Russian Express-AT1 communications satellite crashed, leading to the interruption of the operation of satellite channels in various regions of Russia, as well as in the territory of Ukraine annexed by the Russian Federation. This has been reported “Kommersant” and CNews.
The Express-AT1 satellite was used by three satellite television operators: Tricolor, NTV-Plus and Russkiy Mir. It was decommissioned on March 4, It was said In a message from the government institution “Space Communications”. She pointed out that the device stopped working “for unknown reasons,” and that attempts by satellite communications specialists to restore its operation “did not produce the desired result and now the satellite can be considered lost.”
“For a number of consumers, the technical ability to receive satellite channels will be restored in the coming days, but will require reconfiguration of the receiving equipment to a different orbital position. For other subscribers, the opportunity to receive satellite channels will appear within a month,” Kosmichiskaya Svez said.
Kommersant’s interlocutor on the communications market noted that the service life of the satellite was calculated until 2030, and that such an incident, which led to an immediate failure, “certainly indicates a possible impact on the satellite itself.” He acknowledged the possibility of a cyber attack.
The loss of Express-AT1 resulted in interruption of satellite TV operation. On the day of the accident, the signal was lost to subscribers in different regions of Russia. According to market participants, the device provides coverage from Kaliningrad to the Far East.
Tricolor began transmitting part of its broadcasts to other orbital locations. The company reported that subscribers can receive the channels via a satellite operating at 36 degrees east longitude (Express-AT1 operates at an orbital position of 56 degrees), but only in areas where this is technically possible. CNews points out that the most difficult situation arose with the Russian global operator, which was created in 2022 for satellite television broadcasting in the regions of Ukraine annexed by Russia. A message on the company’s website indicates that the operator’s service is temporarily unavailable. The company claims that it will restore broadcasting within a month and recommended that subscribers use digital terrestrial television.