Intelsat 907 (or IS-907
) was a
communications satellite
A communications satellite is an artificial satellite that relays and amplifies radio telecommunication signals via a transponder; it creates a communication channel between a source transmitter and a receiver at different locations on Ear ...
operated by
Intelsat
Intelsat S.A. (formerly INTEL-SAT, INTELSAT, Intelsat) is a multinational satellite services provider with corporate headquarters in Luxembourg and administrative headquarters in Tysons Corner, Virginia, United States. Originally formed as ...
.
Launch
Intelsat 907 was launched by an
Ariane 4 rocket from
Guiana Space Centre
The Guiana Space Centre (french: links=no, Centre spatial guyanais; CSG), also called Europe's Spaceport, is a European spaceport to the northwest of Kourou in French Guiana, a region of France in South America. Kourou is located approximat ...
, French Guiana, at 06:44 UTC on February 15, 2003.
[ ]
Capacity and coverage
The 4.7 tonne spacecraft provided data-relay among installations in North America, South America, Western Europe and Africa through its array of
C band and
Ku band
The Ku band () is the portion of the electromagnetic spectrum in the microwave range of frequencies from 12 to 18 gigahertz (GHz). The symbol is short for "K-under" (originally german: Kurz-unten), because it is the lower part of the o ...
transponder
In telecommunications, a transponder is a device that, upon receiving a signal, emits a different signal in response. The term is a blend of ''transmitter'' and ''responder''.
In air navigation or radio frequency identification, a flight trans ...
s after parking over 27.5 degrees west longitude. It replaced the aging
Intelsat 605.
Replacement
On 2 April 2020, the Intelsat 907 was replaced by the
Intelsat 901 satellite. Before this, Intelsat 901 had been taken out of operation (having operated for about 18 years in another orbital slot) and moved into graveyard orbit where it docked with
Mission Extension Vehicle-1 (MEV-1), a satellite service craft. MEV-1 then took responsibility of propulsion and attitude control of the satellite pair. The satellites then descended back to geostationary arc, where Intelsat 901 then replaced Intelsat 907's communications responsibilities. Intelsat 901 took over from Intelsat 907 on 2 April 2020. It is expected that the Intelsat 901 will operate for five more years, after which MEV-1 will again raise it to graveyard orbit for decommissioning.
See also
*
2003 in spaceflight
This article outlines notable events occurring in 2003 in spaceflight, including major launches and EVAs. The Space Shuttle Columbia disaster
The Space Shuttle ''Columbia'' disaster was a fatal accident in the United States space progr ...
External links
* .
Intelsat
Intelsat S.A. (formerly INTEL-SAT, INTELSAT, Intelsat) is a multinational satellite services provider with corporate headquarters in Luxembourg and administrative headquarters in Tysons Corner, Virginia, United States. Originally formed as ...
References
Intelsat satellites
{{US-spacecraft-stub