At the final day of 2024, Eutelsat’s OneWeb satellite tv for pc broadband provider that covers a lot of Europe, Africa, Asia and the Americas was once hit with a 48-hour energy outage — and, oddly sufficient, it is as a result of the intercalary year.It sounds as if, the corporate didn’t account for the additional day in 2024 in a minimum of one among their techniques, which created a timing factor.”We will be able to verify that the problem was once led to by means of a intercalary year downside, associated with day 366 in 2024, which impacted the guide calculation for the GPS-to-UTC offset,” in step with an organization spokesperson, talking to The Sign in.Principally, UTC, or Coordinated Common Time, which we use on Earth in reality differs a couple of seconds from GPS time, which is utilized by satellites, so there’s all the time a small offset between the 2 time measurements.It’s due to this fact crucial that satellite tv for pc producers account for this distinction usually, so as to be sure that all spacecraft functions and flooring communications techniques proceed easily — however all through a intercalary year, the additional day in February method engineers should upload any other layer of adjustment time-wise. If no longer, as Eutelsat’s enjoy presentations, headaches can happen.”The basis motive was once recognized as a tool factor throughout the flooring section,” the corporate stated in a brief commentary. “Eutelsat was once totally mobilized and labored with the seller to revive complete provider.”Primarily based in Paris, Eutelsat runs one of the most biggest satellite tv for pc networks on the earth, together with 35 geostationary satellites and a constellation of over 600 satellites in low Earth orbit. With the exception of public web, Eutelsat additionally distributes connectivity for presidency products and services and greater than 6,500 tv channels.Breaking area information, the most recent updates on rocket launches, skywatching occasions and extra!The starting place of the intercalary year, which provides in the future—the twenty ninth—to the tip of February as soon as each and every 4 years, dates the entire as far back as 46 B.C. An astronomer named Sosigenes of Alexandria advised Julius Caesar that the tropical 12 months (or the sun 12 months) lasted about 365.25 days. So, a bounce day was once added to the calendar each and every 4 years to account for the quarter day.Each time a intercalary year comes round, there are all the time a couple of mistakes that pop up all over the world. Final 12 months, a pc worm led to by means of the life of Feb. 29 became off boulevard lighting fixtures throughout Paris for an evening, which then needed to be restored district by means of district.Now we have some time till corporations and organizations have to start out being concerned about pc problems led to by means of a intercalary year. Feb. 29 doesn’t come round once more till 2028.
How a intercalary year mistake knocked out a OneWeb satellite tv for pc for two days
