Intelsat said last week that 22 transponders on the Intelsat-Americas IA-7 satellite--formerly known as Telstar 7--have been tested and are performing normally. Some of these transponders are already back into service.

In a press release, Intelsat said it was working with Space Systems/Loral to "determine and fully analyze the cause" of the anomaly that Intelsat originally said "caused the permanent loss of the spacecraft." See RF Report for November 30, 2004 for information on the failure.

Intelsat said it was delaying the launch of its IA-8 satellite until the investigation of the IA-7 anomaly is completed. Intelsat CEO Conny Kullman said that to continue upholding the highest standards in satellite operations, and to provide the best service to customers, "we have decided to delay the IA-8 launch until we receive the results of the IA-7 anomaly investigation."