PanAmSat successfully launches Galaxy 16

Analoguesat

June 18th, 2006, 12:46 UTC
PanAmSat announced today that its Galaxy 16 satellite had successfully soared into space at 12:50 a.m. ET. Launched into orbit by Sea Launch, Galaxy 16 is the 24th satellite in PanAmSat’s fleet and its 11th over the United States. The satellite, to be located at 99 degrees west longitude, will replace Galaxy 4R. This is PanAmSat’s 43rd satellite since the launch of Galaxy 1 in 1983.

PanAmSat CEO Joe Wright said: ”Galaxy 16 is a broadcasters’ dream satellite. With its remarkable power and expansive footprint reaching from Maine to Alaska and Hawaii, it can deliver today and tomorrow’s technological advancements. In addition to providing the very clearest broadcast signal, this versatile spacecraft has the digital muscle to deliver IPTV, HDTV or VOD. Galaxy 16 is one blockbuster of a satellite for existing and emerging technologies.”

Galaxy 16, a Space Systems/Loral 1300 series satellite, took off into space from the Odyssey Launch Platform on a Zenit-3SL rocket, leaving the earth for its final destination 22,300 miles over the U.S. With its 24 C-band and 24 Ku-band payloads, the satellite will be home to the leading names in television such as: ABC, Comcast, FOX Broadcasting, Warner Bros., Buena Vista and Televisa as well as major customers such as National Public Radio (NPR) and Hughes Network Systems (HNS).

The Loral 1300 satellite platform was first introduced in the mid-1980s and has been developed to deliver increasingly higher power, greater flexibility and longer mission life. The 1300 series has a total satellite power capability ranging from 5 to 25 kW continuously throughout the life of the spacecraft and is able to support from as few as 12 active transponders to as many as 150 transponders.

(Source: PanAmSat via Media network weblog)