14 DAY TRIAL // The Anik F2 telecommunications satellite suffered a significant glitch on Thursday, October 6, which left thousands of people living in the northern parts of Canada without access to communications.
Press reports in the country indicate that dozens of aircraft have been grounded, since their satellite navigation systems and other installations could not function without orbital links. The situation is expected to be resolved shortly, although no one can say exactly when that happens, Space reports.
The spacecraft is operated by the Telesat Canada satellite operator, which is based in Ottawa. Officials from the company announced that the malfunctions began at around 6:36 am EDT (1036 GMT).
“Telesat is now undertaking to return the satellite to normal operations and is working with its customers on Anik F2 to restore traffic in an orderly manner and minimize the impact to their networks,” a statement from the company explains.