EchoStar IX/Telstar 13, a powerful multi-band satellite built for EchoStar Communications Corporation and Loral Skynet by Space Systems/Loral (SS/L), was successfully launched August 7 at 11:31 pm EDT. The satellite, to be positioned at 121 degrees West longitude, was sent into space from the Odyssey Launch Platform, positioned on the Equator in the Pacific Ocean, on a Sea Launch Zenit-3SL rocket.
In a unique satellite sharing arrangement, EchoStar will operate the Ku- and Ka-band payloads as EchoStar IX; Loral Skynet, a subsidiary of Loral Space & Communications, will initially own and operate the C-band payload as Telstar 13. In July, Loral reached a definitive agreement to sell Telstar 13, along with five other North American telecommunications satellites to Intelsat, Ltd., Hamilton, Bermuda.
The spacecraft’s Ku-band fixed satellite services (FSS) transponders are designed to enhance EchoStar’s current U.S. DISH Network satellite TV service. EchoStar IX will join EchoStar’s current fleet of eight satellites that provide DISH Network customers with hundreds of all-digital television channels, including interactive TV services, sports programming, high definition television and international programming.
The spacecraft is also equipped with the first U.S. commercial Ka-band spot-beam payloads. The successful launch of EchoStar IX brings EchoStar’s fleet to nine satellites, including three satellites previously built by SS/L.
Telstar 13’s 24 C-band FSS transponders operating at 36 Mhz will provide Skynet’s cable programming customers with coverage throughout North America, including Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico. Skynet’s current satellite serving cable programmers, Telstar 7, is operating nearby at 127 degrees West longitude. Together the satellites form a very attractive platform to cable programmers looking for the benefits of a strong neighborhood and restoration solutions.
“Building this satellite has been a tremendous success for all parties involved,” said Patrick DeWitt, SS/L’s president and chief operating officer. “Our close relationships with EchoStar and Skynet have been an important part of SS/L’s success, and our shared commitment to quality remains our top priority.”
Built at Space Systems/Loral’s Palo Alto, Calif., facility, EchoStar IX/Telstar 13 is based on SS/L’s space-proven 1300 geostationary satellite platform, which has an excellent record of reliable operation.
The 1300 is designed to achieve a long life, in this case 15 years, excellent station-keeping and orbital stability by using bipropellant propulsion and momentum-bias attitude control systems. A system of high-efficiency solar arrays and batteries provide uninterrupted electrical power. In all, SS/L satellites have amassed nearly 1,000 years of on-orbit service.
On July 15, 2003, Loral announced that it had reached a definitive agreement to sell its North American telecommunications satellites to Intelsat, Ltd. In conjunction with this sale, Loral and certain of its subsidiaries filed voluntary petitions for reorganization under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. The transaction with Intelsat is expected to close within four to six months, pending Bankruptcy Court and regulatory approval.
After this transaction, Loral Skynet will continue to operate an integrated fixed satellite and network services business using its fleet of five telecommunications satellites and its established VSAT/fiber global network infrastructure.
