Intelsat 708, 1996
posted September 18, 2024 #
I dunno about you but my YouTube is often filled with recommendations like "The 10 wildest tragedies you never heard of" or "Top 5 Strangest Mysteries on YouTube." It's clickbait but I can't deny that I often indulge. Once such compilation led me to read more about the Intelstat 708 incident in 1996. Basically, it was a satellite built by an American company (Space Systems/Loral) for a "intergovermental consortium" called Intelstat but launched from a center in China. It exploded almost immediately after liftoff, killing six people and destroying the area. This video shows the failed liftoff and the devastation afterwards.
The video does not depict the victims and I do not share this to overshadow that tragedy, it's awful that people died because of a mistake like a failed rocket launch. I share it because 18 minutes into the video, it cuts away from the aftermath and shows what looks to be a training video. Presumably these are Space Systems employees just having a laugh but given that it appears 18 minutes after a pretty heavy topic, it's quite bizarre to say the least. So bizarre it may even be worthy of a "Top 5 Strangest Mysteries on YouTube."
The video does not depict the victims and I do not share this to overshadow that tragedy, it's awful that people died because of a mistake like a failed rocket launch. I share it because 18 minutes into the video, it cuts away from the aftermath and shows what looks to be a training video. Presumably these are Space Systems employees just having a laugh but given that it appears 18 minutes after a pretty heavy topic, it's quite bizarre to say the least. So bizarre it may even be worthy of a "Top 5 Strangest Mysteries on YouTube."