The first satellite launch of the new year for Hughes is the scheduled Jan. 24 liftoff of Galaxy XR, built for PanAmSat Corp. The satellite was shipped Dec. 27 to Europe’s spaceport, on the northeast coast of South America. Engineers and technicians from satellite builder Hughes Space and Communications Co. (HSC) and rocket builder Arianespace are making final preparations for the launch, set for 10:12 p.m. local time (5:12 p.m. PT, 0112 Jan. 25 GMT), using an Ariane 42L vehicle.
The spacecraft, a Hughes HS 601HP model, carries 48 active transponders, 24 each at C-band and Ku-band. It will be the fifth satellite in PanAmSat’s Galaxy(R) cable neighborhood at 123 degrees West longitude.
These satellites deliver cable television programming to nearly all of the 11,000 cable systems throughout the United States. The satellite’s advanced communications payload will also deliver premium Internet and telecommunications services to high-profile customers throughout North America.
“Galaxy XR is the first of five satellites we plan to launch this year for PanAmSat,” said HSC President and Chief Executive Officer Tig H. Krekel. “We look forward to this being as successful a mission as last month’s, when the very first Hughes HS 702 satellite, Galaxy XI, was launched for PanAmSat on an Ariane rocket.
“The HS 702 is the world’s largest, most powerful commercial satellite ever launched. Similarly, the HS 601 is the world’s most successful model, and this mission represents the 52nd HS 601 satellite.” The four other satellites planned for PanAmSat this year are three HS 601HPs and one HS 702.
HSC is the world’s leading manufacturer of commercial communications satellites, having built nearly 40 percent of those in operation. It also is a major supplier of spacecraft and equipment to the U.S. government, and a builder of weather satellites for the United States and Japan.
