Satellite deployment failure
Failure to unfold in orbit an element folded for launch, solar array, antenna, reflector, depriving the satellite of part of its power or mission, a frequent cause of partial losses in space insurance.
To fit under a launcher's fairing, a satellite is folded: its solar arrays, antennas and reflectors are held by locking mechanisms that must release once in orbit to deploy them. This phase, unique and irreversible, is one of the riskiest of the mission: a snagged cable, a mechanism jammed by cold, a failed deployment motor, and the element stays partly or fully folded. Depending on the element, the consequence ranges from losing a few percent of power, offset by reduced service, to losing the whole mission. In insurance, these failures most often lead to partial losses, whose calculation follows a specific clause relating lost capacity to contractual capacity, sometimes after an observation period during which the operator tries to free the element through maneuvers. The anomaly investigations that follow can reveal a serial defect affecting other satellites from the same manufacturer, making it an accumulation risk for underwriters insuring several spacecraft on the same platform.
In 2012, one of the two solar arrays of the Intelsat 19 telecommunications satellite failed to deploy properly after launch, reducing the power available to its payload. The operator declared a partial loss to its insurers, and the investigation focused on the manufacturer's array production process.
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