Waas Satellite Serving Alaska Will Be Back Online Soon

Intelsat’s Galaxy 15 geostationary satellite, which ceased broadcasting the Waas signal covering some airports in Alaska on December 16, is now back under control. The satellite hosts a Waas navigation transponder, and according to the FAA, manufacturer Orbital Sciences has “isolated the cause of the failure and implemented corrective actions that will serve to prevent recurrence in the satellite.” The satellite was slated to be moved to a temporary location at 93 degrees west longitude for further testing, then back to 133 degrees west or a location near that in early March. The FAA and Lockheed Martin, the ground communications and control segment contractor, are working on testing the navigation payload, and once these are satisfactory the FAA will begin transmitting the Waas signals.