Drifting satellite (loss of control)

April 2010: Intelsat's Galaxy 15 stops answering the ground but keeps relaying signals as it drifts along the geostationary arc, until it is brought back under control at the end of December. A drifting satellite, or zombie satellite, is a spacecraft that has lost all ground control this way, typically after an electronic or software failure, yet remains physically intact and sometimes keeps transmitting on its original frequencies. Unlike a conventional total loss, the asset is not destroyed. For its operator, that means a certain loss of service. For third parties, it is an active hazard: the satellite drifts with no possible maneuvering through occupied orbits, particularly the geostationary belt, where orbital slots are tightly coordinated. Any frequency interference it keeps emitting makes things harder for neighboring operators. For insurers, the first question is how to classify the loss: a total loss despite the absence of physical destruction, once control is irrecoverably lost, which connects to the concept of constructive total loss. The second is an unusual liability question: an uncontrolled object can damage a third-party satellite, with no avoidance maneuver possible on the faulty side.