New York (CNN Business) A DirecTV satellite at risk of exploding will make an emergency maneuver to push itself into a deserted area of space known as "graveyard" orbit, according to public filings. The hope is that the satellite won't burst in its operational orbit, where the debris could put other expensive communications satellites at risk.

The satellite, which was built by Boeing and goes by the name Spaceway-1, suffered "irreversible" damage to its batteries during a "major anomaly" in December, according to a new public filing DirecTV submitted to US regulators. It's not yet clear what caused the damage. The news was reported earlier by Space News

Boeing said in a statement emailed to CNN Business that the issue stemmed from "a collection of events that have a very low likelihood of occurring on other satellites." Boeing also said it will provide "a minor update" for its satellite customers that will allow them to avoid a similar malfunction.

The company did not respond to additional inquiries from CNN Business about whether any other Boeing-built satellites may be at risk.

Spaceway-1 provides back-up capacity for DirecTV customers in Alaska, according to public documents. DirecTV's parent company AT&T, which also owns CNN, said in an emailed statement that it does not expect service interruptions for customers and will replace the satellite with another device in its fleet. A spokesperson did not respond to additional requests for details Thursday.

Read More