In the latest blow to Boeing, one of its 2016 Intelsat communication satellites blew up in late October while in geostationary orbit and has been declared "a total loss." The fragments are being tracked by the US Space Force and Roscosmos but US officials said that they have detected no immediate threats to other satellites.

The development is yet another setback for Boeing which is already dealing with a variety of issues, including its troubled Starliner spacecraft which NASA brought back to Earth without its two-person test-flight crew on board because of thruster failures.

No cause for the explosion was disclosed. The satellite is frequently used for internet, telephone and satellite TV and radio broadcast signals. According to published reports, its launch had been delayed by three months after it developed problems with its primary thruster.