SES-1 is a geostationary

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 Earth ...

which is operated by SES World Skies, then by SES S.A.

History

It was originally ordered by SES Americom as a ground spare for AMC-5R, however in April 2008 a decision was made to launch it, and it was named AMC-1R. It was subsequently renamed AMC-4R, and finally SES-1 after SES Americom merged with SES New Skies to form SES World Skies. It was the third SES World Skies satellite to be launched following the merger, but the first to carry the new SES designation. SES-1 operates in

geostationary orbit A geostationary orbit, also referred to as a geosynchronous equatorial orbit''Geostationary orbit'' and ''Geosynchronous (equatorial) orbit'' are used somewhat interchangeably in sources. (GEO), is a circular geosynchronous orbit in altitu ...

, and is intended to be located at a

longitude Longitude (, ) is a geographic coordinate that specifies the east– west position of a point on the surface of the Earth, or another celestial body. It is an angular measurement, usually expressed in degrees and denoted by the Greek let ...

of 101° West, where it will replace the AMC-2 and

AMC-4 AMC-4 (formerly GE-4) is a commercial broadcast communications satellite owned by SES World Skies, part of SES S.A. (and formerly GE Americom, then SES Americom). Launched in 1999, from Centre Spatial Guyanais, ELA-2 by Ariane 44LP H10-3. It ...

satellites, and be used broadcast

high-definition television High-definition television (HD or HDTV) describes a television system which provides a substantially higher image resolution than the previous generation of technologies. The term has been used since 1936; in more recent times, it refers to the g ...

very small aperture terminal A very-small-aperture terminal (VSAT) is a two-way satellite ground station with a dish antenna that is smaller than 3.8 meters. The majority of VSAT antennas range from 75 cm to 1.2 m. Bit rates, in most cases, range from 4 kbit/s up to 16 ...

s in the United States.

Spacecraft

SES-1 was built by

Orbital Sciences Corporation Orbital Sciences Corporation (commonly referred to as Orbital) was an American company specializing in the design, manufacture, and launch of small- and medium- class space and launch vehicle systems for commercial, military and other governmen ...

(OSC), and is based on the Star-2.4

satellite bus A satellite bus (or spacecraft bus) is the main body and structural component of a satellite or spacecraft, in which the payload and all scientific instruments are held. Bus-derived satellites are opposed to specially produced satellites. Bus- ...

. It is equipped with 24 C-band, and 24 Ku-band

transponders 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 tra ...

, and at launch it had a mass of . It has a design life of fifteen years, however it was launched with enough fuel to operate for at least sixteen years, if its systems are still functional.

Launch

The launch of SES-1 was conducted by International Launch Services (ILS), using a Proton-M

launch vehicle A launch vehicle or carrier rocket is a rocket designed to carry a payload ( spacecraft or satellites) from the Earth's surface to outer space. Most launch vehicles operate from a launch pads, supported by a launch control center and sys ...

with a Briz-M upper stage. The launch occurred from Site 200/39 at the

Baikonur Cosmodrome ''Baiqoñyr ğaryş ailağy'' rus, Космодром Байконур''Kosmodrom Baykonur'' , image = Baikonur Cosmodrome Soyuz launch pad.jpg , caption = The Baikonur Cosmodrome's "Gagarin's Start" Soyuz ...

, at 11:19:00 UTC on 24 April 2010. The launch successfully placed SES-1 into a

subsynchronous orbit A subsynchronous orbit is an orbit of a satellite that is nearer the planet than it would be if it were in synchronous orbit, i.e. the orbital period is less than the sidereal day of the planet. Technical considerations An Earth satellite that i ...

close to geostationary altitude.

Mission

In May and June 2010, SES-1 was positioned close to 131° West to temporarily provide backup to the AMC-11 satellite in the event that AMC-11 could not continue broadcasting whilst it is moved out of the way of the failed Galaxy 15 satellite, which passed close to it at the end of May 2010. In the end, services provided by AMC-11 were not interrupted.

References

{{Orbital launches in 2010 Spacecraft launched in 2010 Communications satellites in geostationary orbit SES satellites Satellites using the GEOStar bus Satellites of Luxembourg

History

Spacecraft

Launch

Mission

See also

References