EchoStar XVI

EchoStar XVI
Mission type Communication
Operator EchoStar
COSPAR ID 2012-065A
Mission duration 15 years (planned)
Spacecraft properties
Bus LS-1300
Manufacturer Space Systems/Loral
Launch mass 6,683 kilograms (14,733 lb)
Start of mission
Launch date 20 November 2012, 18:31 (2012-11-20UTC18:31Z) UTC
Rocket Proton-M/Briz-M
Launch site Baikonur 200/39
Contractor ILS
Orbital parameters
Reference system Geocentric
Regime Geostationary
Longitude 61.5° West
Period 24 hours
Transponders
Band 36 J band (IEEE Ku band)

EchoStar XVI is an American geostationary communications satellite which is operated by EchoStar. It is positioned in geostationary orbit, and will be located at a longitude of 61.5° West, from where it is intended to provide direct broadcasting of high-definition television services to the United States for Dish Network.[1][2]

EchoStar XVI was built by Space Systems/Loral, and is based on the LS-1300 satellite bus. It is equipped with 32 J band (IEEE Ku band) transponders.[1] At launch it had a mass of 6,258 kilograms (13,797 lb). It has a design life of fifteen years.[2] It has a common configuration with EchoStar XI and EchoStar XV.

The launch of EchoStar XVI was conducted by International Launch Services, using a Proton-M carrier rocket with a Briz-M upper stage. The launch occurred on 20 November 2012, 18:31 UTC from Site 200/39 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.[3][4]

The Creative Time was launched with EchoStar XVI into outer space an archival disc created by artist Trevor Paglen called The Last Pictures. Made of ultra-archival materials, the disc is expected to orbit the Earth for billions of years affixed to the exterior of the communications satellite. A silicon disc has one hundred photographs selected to represent modern human history.[5]

See also

References

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 10/14/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.