TerreStar Corporation (TSTR), formerly Motient Corp. (MNCP - 2000–2007) and ''American Mobile Satellite Corp.'' (AMSC - 1988–2000), was the controlling shareholder of '' TerreStar Networks Inc.'', ''TerreStar National Services, Inc.'' and ''TerreStar Global Ltd.'', and a shareholder of

SkyTerra SkyTerra (SKYT), formerly Mobile Satellite Ventures (MSV or MSVLP), was a Reston, Virginia company that developed telecommunications systems that integrate satellite and terrestrial radio communication technologies into one system. In March 2010, ...

Communications. ''TerreStar Networks'' was a

Reston, Virginia Reston is a census-designated place in Fairfax County, Virginia and a principal city of the Washington metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, Reston's population was 63,226. Founded in 1964, Reston was influenced by the Garden City move ...

-based company that operated integrated

satellite A satellite or artificial satellite is an object intentionally placed into orbit in outer space. Except for passive satellites, most satellites have an electricity generation system for equipment on board, such as solar panels or radioiso ...

and terrestrial

telecommunications Telecommunication is the transmission of information by various types of technologies over wire, radio, optical, or other electromagnetic systems. It has its origin in the desire of humans for communication over a distance greater than tha ...

systems. The company declared bankruptcy in 2010 and is now owned by

Dish Network DISH Network Corporation (DISH, an acronym for DIgital Sky Highway) is an American television provider and the owner of the direct-broadcast satellite provider Dish, commonly known as Dish Network, and the over-the-top IPTV service, Sling TV ...

XM Satellite Radio XM Satellite Radio (XM) was one of the three satellite radio (SDARS) and online radio services in the United States and Canada, operated by Sirius XM, Sirius XM Holdings. It provided pay-for-service radio, analogous to subscription cable televisi ...

was a spin-off of American Mobile Satellite Corp.

TerreStar-1

Arianespace Arianespace SA is a French company founded in 1980 as the world's first commercial launch service provider. It undertakes the operation and marketing of the Ariane programme. The company offers a number of different launch vehicles: the heavy- ...

launched TerreStar-1 on the morning of July 1, 2009. With a launch mass of 6,910 kg, it has been deemed "the largest commercial telecommunications satellite ever launched." It was built by Space Systems/Loral and was launched from the Guiana Space Center with an

Ariane 5 Ariane 5 is a European heavy-lift space launch vehicle developed and operated by Arianespace for the European Space Agency (ESA). It is launched from the Centre Spatial Guyanais (CSG) in French Guiana. It has been used to deliver payloads in ...

rocket in

French Guiana French Guiana ( or ; french: link=no, Guyane ; gcr, label=French Guianese Creole, Lagwiyann ) is an overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France on the northern Atlantic ...

. TerreStar-1 with the plan of providing mobile voice, messaging and data communications services to North America. Terrestar system is based on GMR standard.

Terrestrial network

On January 14, 2010, TerreStar announced that the

Federal Communications Commission The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains jurisd ...

had approved the company's deployment of a terrestrial wireless network using the same S-band frequencies used by TerreStar-1.

Bankruptcy Restructuring with EchoStar

In October 2010, TerreStar filed for a "prepackaged" bankruptcy, led by its largest secured creditor, EchoStar. Together the secured creditors exchanged $940 million of debt for about 97 percent of the company. The plan, along with $75 million of debtor-in-possession financing, was approved in November 2010. In December 2010, an NPO called " A Human Right" mounted an effort to buy the satellite for use over Africa, with basic free internet service for those who don't have it, and internet access for nations that have cut off international internet connections. After successfully bidding $1.375 billion for the acquisition of the TerreStar-1 satellite in a bankruptcy-court auction,

on August 22, 2011, asked the

to let the company utilize the wireless spectrum of TerreStar to offer its own

wireless broadband Wireless broadband is telecommunications technology that provides high-speed wireless Internet access or computer networking access over a wide area. The term comprises both fixed and mobile broadband. The term broadband Originally the word " ...

service.

References

External links

Terrestar Corporation

TerreStar NetworksTerrestar GlobalNSDDC Master Catalog - TerreStar 1 - 2009-035AAT&T Integrated Cellular-Satellite SolutionAT&T Announces Agreement with TerreStar to Offer Integrated Cellular/Satellite Solution

Buy This Satellite
- website for A Human Right * Companies based in Reston, Virginia Satellite telephony Defunct mobile phone companies of the United States Dish Network Companies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2010 Companies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2011 {{US-telecom-company-stub

TerreStar-1

Terrestrial network

Bankruptcy Restructuring with EchoStar

See also

References

External links