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The DirecTV satellite fleet is a group of communications satellites located at various geostationary orbits that DirecTV uses for their satellite television service and HughesNet (formerly known as DirecWAY and DirecPC ) internet service. The "DirecTV" prefix in their names has been changed to "T". [1] [2]
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Defunct satellites are highlighted in gold.
| Satellite | Orbital slot | Launch date* | Launch vehicle | Satellite type | Separated mass | Mass at BOL | Mass at EOL | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DirecTV-1 | 91.1°W | December 17, 1993 | Ariane 4 | Hughes Electronics HS-601 | 2,970 kilograms (6,550 lb) at GTO [3] | 1,680 kilograms (3,700 lb) | 1,300 kilograms (2,900 lb) | Defunct as of February 2009 [4] |
| DirecTV-2 | 100.8°W | August 3, 1994 | Atlas IIA [5] | Hughes Electronics HS-601 | Defunct as of May 2007 [6] | |||
| DirecTV-3 | 91.1°W | June 10, 1995 | Ariane 42-P | Hughes Electronics HS-601 | Renamed as Nimiq 3, defunct as of May 2009 | |||
| DirecTV-6 | 109.5°W | March 9, 1997 | Atlas IIA [7] | Space Systems/Loral LS-1300 | Defunct as of August 2006 | |||
| DirecTV-1R | 55.8°E | October 9, 1999 | Zenit-3SL | Hughes Electronics HS-601HP | Defunct as of May 2014 | |||
| DirecTV-4S(or T4S) | 101.2° W | November 27, 2001 | Ariane 4 | Hughes Electronics HS-601P | Defunct as of October 2019 | |||
| T5 (satellite) | 110.1° W [8] | May 7, 2002 | Proton | Space Systems/Loral LS-1300 | 3,640 kilograms (8,025 lb) at TO [9] | Defunct as of December 2018 | ||
| Galaxy 3C | 95°W | June 15, 2002 | Zenit-3SL | Boeing BSS-702 | Operational, to be removed from fleet | |||
| T7S | 119.0°W | May 4, 2004 | Zenit-3SL | Space Systems/Loral LS-1300 | Defunct as of 2021 | |||
| SPACEWAY-1 | 103.0°W | April 26, 2005 | Zenit-3SL | Boeing BSS-702 | Defunct as of February 2020 | |||
| T8 | 119.0°W | May 22, 2005 | Proton M | Space Systems/Loral LS-1300 | Operational | |||
| SPACEWAY-2 | 99.2°W | November 16, 2005 | Ariane 5 ECA | Boeing BSS-702 | Operational | |||
| T9S | 101.1°W | October 13, 2006 | Ariane 5 ECA | Space Systems/Loral LS-1300 | Operational | |||
| T10 (satellite) | 103.0°W | July 7, 2007 | Proton M | Boeing BSS-702 | 5,893 kilograms (12,992 lb) at GTO [10] | Operational | ||
| T11 | 99.2°W | March 19, 2008 | Zenit-3SL | Boeing BSS-702 | 6,060 kilograms (13,360 lb) at GTO [11] | 3,700 kilograms (8,200 lb) [11] | Operational | |
| T12 | 103.0°W | December 28, 2009 [12] | Proton M | Boeing BSS-702 | Operational | |||
| T14 [13] | 99.2°W [14] | December 6, 2014 [15] [16] [17] | Ariane 5 [15] | Space Systems/Loral LS-1300 | Operational | |||
| T15 [18] | 103.0°W [19] | May 27, 2015 [19] | Ariane 5 [15] | Astrium Eurostar E3000 | Operational | |||
| T16 | 101.1°W | June 20, 2019 [20] | Ariane 5 | Eurostar E3000 | Operational |
The first of the fleet, DirecTV 1, launched on December 17, 1993 aboard a Ariane 4 launch vehicle. DirecTV 1 commenced operations on June 17, 1994, positioned at 101.2° W. The satellite experienced a satellite control processor failure in July 1998, but the satellite was able to continue operating on its backup SCP for the rest of its operational life. [21] In 1999, the satellite was relocated to 110° W. In June 2003, the satellite was relocated back to 101.2° W, as the satellite was incapable of providing service to Hawaii. [22] In July 2005, the satellite was relocated to 72.5° W, as the former satellite at that position (DirecTV 5) had moved to 110° W to replace DirecTV 6, which was approaching the end of its fuel life. [21] In 2007, the satellite was relocated to 91.1° W, and leased to Telesat. [23] Having reached the end of its useful lifespan, DirecTV 1 was de-orbited on February 20, 2009. [4]
DirecTV 2 was launched on August 3, 1994 aboard a Atlas 2-A rocket from Cape Canaveral. This spacecraft is special in that it carries a time capsule named SpaceArc, with the intention of moving the spacecraft into a higher orbit at the end of its life so that a explorer would be able to uncover the messages in the distant future. Among the items contained in SpaceArc are messages from then Vice President Al Gore and his predecessor Dan Quayle. [24] In January 2006, the satellite was relocated to 91.1° W, in order to support Telesat's BSS service in Canada. [25] [26] DirecTV 2 reached the end of its operational life on May 20, 2007, when it was successfully de-orbited. [6]
DirecTV 3 was launched on June 10, 1995 aboard a Ariane 42-P launch rocket, serving as an in-orbit backup. In 2002, the satellite's main spacecraft control processor failed, prompting DirecTV to move the spacecraft into a storage orbit. [27] The satellite was recalled in October 2003 and leased to Telesat, relocating to 82° W in order to provide backup for Nimiq 2. [28] In 2004, the satellite was relocated to 91° W, backing up Nimiq 1. The satellite reached the end of its life and was subsequently de-orbited in May 2009.
DirecTV-1R was launched on October 9, 1999 aboard a Sea Launch Zenit-3SL launch vehicle. It was the first satellite used to broadcast local channels for DirecTV in major DMAs, and was positioned at 101.2° W when it first entered service. [29] In April 2007, the satellite was relocated to 72.5° W and leased to Telesat to cover the loss of DirecTV 2 and serve as backup capacity to the troubled Nimiq 2 satellite. [30] [31] In early 2012, DirecTV-1R was briefly repositioned to 109.8° W as a spare for DirecTV-5, however, in mid-2012, it was announced that DirecTV-1R would be leased to the Russian Satellite Communications Company, and was repositioned to its current location at 55.8° E in late 2012 as a stopgap supplement to the RSCC's aging Bonum 1 satellite due to delays of the RSCC's Express-AT1 satellite. [32] Express-AT1 was launched on March 15, 2014 and DirecTV 1R was de-orbited on May 22, 2014. [33]
T4S (formerly DirecTV-4S) was successfully launched on November 27, 2001 aboard a Ariane 44LP rocket from the Guiana Space Center on the northeastern coast of South America. T4S was a 9,400-pound, 86-foot-long, and 24.5-foot-wide high powered satellite. T4S was the first satellite for DirecTV to employs spot beams. This technology reuses the same frequencies on multiple spot beams to reach the major television markets where DirecTV delivers the signals of local network affiliates. The satellite carried two Ku-band payloads: spot beams for local channels, and a national beam payload. The spot beam payload used a total of 38 traveling wave-tube amplifiers (TWTAs) ranging in power from 30 to 88 watts. The national beam payload carried two active transponders with further capability for two active high-power transponders and six active low-power transponders. The satellite was stationed at 101° W for its entire operational life. [34] In September 2019, T4S reached the end of its operational life and was subsequently de-orbited. [35]
T5 (formerly DirecTV 5) was successfully launched on May 7, 2002 aboard a Proton rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Originally built for PrimeStar, DirecTV acquired the satellite in its 1999 buyout of the company. [36] The satellite was relocated from 119° W to 72.5° W in 2004 and temporarily leased to Telesat for their Canadian BSS service. [37] [38] In July 2005, the satellite replaced DirecTV 6 at 110° W, where it has remained ever since. [21]
Galaxy 3C is a geostationary communications satellite located at 95° W. It was launched on June 15, 2002, with a Sea Launch vehicle, and is currently active on the C and Ku bands, with 24 transponders for each. Owned by Intelsat, some of the satellite's users include DirecTV's Brazil and Latin America systems, the Racetrack TV Network DBS service, and HughesNet. DirecTV is currently slowly discontinuing use of this satellite, with international channels moving to T12 and T14.
Rite Aid, TJ Maxx, and Chevron use Galaxy 3C as a VSAT platform.
T7S (formerly DirecTV 7S) was successfully launched on May 4, 2004 aboard a Sea Launch Zenit-3SL launch vehicle. The satellite, located at 119° W, is the second of the fleet to employ spot beams, with a main focus on providing high capacity for local channels. [39] The satellite is scheduled to be de-orbited starting January 11, 2021. [40]
The SPACEWAY satellites were originally designed for use by Hughes Electronics to provide both TV and broadband internet service. The satellites were re-purposed for DirecTV after News Corporation purchased a controlling interest in Hughes. Though Spaceway 1 was damaged and subsequently shut down in February 2020, Spaceway 2 continues to operate as a backup satellite. [41]
T8 (formerly DirecTV 8) was successfully launched on May 22, 2005 aboard a Proton M launch vehicle from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The first Ku/Ka hybrid satellite in the fleet, T8 employs 16 transponders. [42] In 2020, T8 was relocated to 119° W, replacing T7S. [43]
T9S (formerly DirecTV 9S) was successfully launched on October 13, 2006 aboard a Ariane 5 launch vehicle. T9S is fitted with 52 Ku-band transponders and 2 Ka-band transponders, making for a total of 54 high-power transponders. The satellite is located at 101.1° W. [44]
T10 (formerly DirecTV 10) was successfully launched on July 6, 2007 aboard a Proton M launch vehicle from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. [45] T10 is employed with 55 spot-beam Ka-band transponders and 32 broad-beam transponders, making up for a total of 87 high-power transponders. [46] T10's launch marked the beginning of mass HDTV expansion for DirecTV, as its transponders employed MPEG-4 technology. [47] Shortly after launch, T10 suffered a anomaly that limited the satellite's capacity, prompting DirecTV to temporarily transfer all commercial service from T10 to T11 while the company worked on fixing the issue. During the process, T10 was relocated slightly from 102.8° W to 102.6° W. [48] The fixes were eventually completed and T10 was drifted back to 102.8° W, where it currently remains. [46]
T11 (formerly DirecTV 11) was successfully launched on March 19, 2008 aboard a Sea Launch Zenit-3SL launch vehicle. The satellite is functionally identical to T10 and is located at 99.2° W. [49] [50]
T12 (formerly DirecTV 12) was successfully launched on December 28, 2009 aboard a Proton M launch vehicle from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. After a period of testing, T12 commenced operations on May 17, 2010. [51] T12's payload consists of 32 active and 12 spare Ka-band traveling-wave tube amplifiers and 55 active and 15 spare spot beam TWTAs. [52] T12 is located at 102.75 W as of October 2020. [53]
T14 (formerly DirecTV 14) was successfully launched on December 6, 2014 aboard a Ariane 5 launch vehicle from the Guiana Space Center in South America. T14 was built by Space Systems/Loral on their SSL-1300 bus and carries 14 Ka-band transponders, as well as 18 "reverse-band" transponders. The satellite has a design life of 15 years and is located at 99° W. [54] [55]
T15 (formerly DirecTV 15) was successfully launched on May 27, 2015 aboard a Ariane 5 launch vehicle from the Guiana Space Center in South America. [56] The first DirecTV satellite to be built by Airbus, T15's payload consists of 30 Ka-band and 24 Ku-band transponders respectively, as well as 18 "reverse-band" transponders. T15 is located at 103° W. [57]
T16 was successfully launched on June 20, 2019 aboard a Ariane 5 launch vehicle from the Guiana Space Center in South America. Launched to replace several older satellites nearing the end of their operational life, the satellite is located at 101° W. AT&T (DirecTV’s parent company at the time) stated after the launch that they did not have any plans to launch new satellites. [58] [59]
The Indian National Satellite SystemINSAT, is a series of multipurpose geostationary satellites launched by ISRO to satisfy telecommunications, broadcasting, meteorology, and search and rescue operations. Commissioned in 1983, INSAT is the largest domestic communication system in the Indo-Pacific Region. It is a joint venture of the Department of Space, Department of Telecommunications, India Meteorological Department, All India Radio and Doordarshan. The overall coordination and management of INSAT system rests with the Secretary-level INSAT Coordination Committee.
T5 is a dormant communications satellite launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan in May, 2002 to provide mainly Spanish language satellite television programs to DirecTV customers from the 119 degrees West longitudinal orbit. It was built by Space Systems/Loral, as part of its LS-1300 line. In May 2004, DIRECTV successfully launched DIRECTV 7S, their second high powered spot beam. T7S is located at the 119 degree orbital slot. The satellite was renamed to T5 in 2017.
Spaceway-1 was a part of AT&T's constellation of direct broadcast satellites. The satellite was launched via a Zenit-3SL rocket from Sea Launch's Odyssey equatorial platform on 26 April 2005. Its operational position was in geosynchronous orbit 35,800 kilometres (22,200 mi) above the equator at 102.8° West longitude. Spaceway-1 was a Boeing 702-model satellite with a 12-year life expectancy. It provided high-definition television to DirecTV customers with its Ka-band communications payload. DirecTV did not make use of the broadband capabilities on Spaceway-1 even though it was originally built by Boeing for this purpose.
This is a list of the satellites operated by Optus, an Australian telecommunications company. The satellite communications facility is located at Belrose on Sydney's Northern Beaches. Optus' satellites are divided into 4 classes A, B, C and D. As of April 2014 it owns and operates Optus B3, Optus C1, Optus D1, Optus D2 and Optus D3. Optus A1, Optus A2, Optus A3 and Optus B1 satellites have been retired. Optus has the largest network of satellites in Australia and New Zealand.
The Anik satellites are a series of geostationary communications satellites launched for Telesat Canada for television, voice and data in Canada and other parts of the world, from 1972 through 2013. Some of the later satellites in the series remain operational in orbit, while others have been retired to a graveyard orbit. The naming of the satellite was determined by a national contest, and was won by Julie-Frances Czapla of Saint-Léonard, Québec. In Inuktitut, Anik means "little brother".
The GSAT satellites are India's indigenously developed communications satellites, used for digital audio, data and video broadcasting. As of 5 December 2018, 20 GSAT satellites of ISRO have been launched out of which 14 satellites are in service.
The Nimiq satellites are a Canadian fleet of geostationary telecommunications satellites owned by Telesat and used by satellite television providers including Bell Satellite TV and EchoStar. 'Nimiq' is an Inuit word used for an object or a force which binds things together. A contest in 1998 was held to choose the name of these satellites. The contest drew over 36,000 entries. Sheila Rogers, a physiotherapist from Nepean, Ontario, submitted the winning name.
Launch Services Alliance is a "back-up" launch service provider. It is a joint venture between the multinational aerospace company Arianespace and Japanese conglomerate Mitsubishi Heavy Industries; initially, the American aerospace firm Boeing Launch Services was involved as well.
T10 is a Boeing model 702 direct broadcast satellite that provides high-definition television (HDTV) to DirecTV subscribers in North America. It was launched by International Launch Services on July 7, 2007 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan aboard an Enhanced Proton Breeze-M rocket. After about two months of in-orbit testing, the satellite was moved to its operating position at 103.0° west longitude. This was the third DirecTV satellite launched on a Proton rocket. Prior launches include T8, which was launched on May 22, 2005, and T5, which was launched on May 7, 2002. The satellite was renamed to T10 in 2017.
Türksat is the name of a series of Turkish communications satellites operated or projected by the state-owned Türksat A.Ş.
AMC-11 , previously GE-11, is an American geostationary communications satellite which is operated by SES S.A. It is currently positioned in geostationary orbit at a longitude of 131° West, from where it is used to relay cable television across North America for onward distribution. It broadcasts to Canada, the Caribbean, Mexico and the United States.
Paksat-1,, was a geosynchronous and communications satellite built and owned by the Boeing Company, leased to the Space & Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) and renamed Paksat-1. It was successfully put on orbit on 1 February 1996 as Palapa-C1 for Indonesia as its original customer. But, after the technical problems, the satellite was leased to SUPARCO at an orbital location of 38° East longitude in December 2002. Paksat-1 offers the C-band and Ku-band coverage in over 75 countries across Europe, Africa, Middle East, South and Central Asia. Its customers included government organizations, television broadcasters, telecommunications companies, data and broadband internet service providers.
JSAT Corporation (JSAT) was the first private Japanese satellite operator, which owned the JSAT satellites, as well as operated and partially owned the N-Star with NTT DoCoMo. Its origins can be traced to the funding of Japan Communications Satellite Company (JCSAT) and Satellite Japan Corporation in 1985. Both companies merged into Japan Satellite Systems Inc. in 1993. In 2000 the company was renamed as JSAT Corporation and was listed in the First Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange. On September 1, 2008, the company was merged into the SKY Perfect JSAT Group.
The Broadcasting Satellite System Corporation (B-SAT) is a Japanese corporation established in April 1993 to procure, manage and lease transponders on communications satellites. Its largest stockholder, owning 49.9%, is NHK, the Japan Broadcasting Corporation. In 1994, it was ranked by Space News as the world's 19th largest fixed satellite operator.
T12, formerly known as D12, is a Boeing model 702 satellite built by the Boeing Satellite Development Center. It was launched on December 29, 2009 and became operational on May 19, 2010. It is used by DirecTV to provide additional high definition channels and Video on demand content, as well as 3DTV channels and content. The satellite adopted its current name in 2017.
INSAT-4A was the first one in the INSAT-4 Satellites series, providing services in the Ku and C band frequency bands. At the time of launch, it was the heaviest satellite India had produced. The Ku transponders cover the Indian main land and C-Band transponders cover an extended area. It has a dozen Ku transponders and another dozen of C-band transponders. This spacecraft was placed at 83°E along with INSAT-2E and INSAT-3B, by Ariane launch vehicle (ARIANE5-V169).
SES-10, is a geostationary communications satellite awarded in February 2014, owned and operated by SES S.A. and designed and manufactured by Airbus Defence and Space on the Eurostar-3000 satellite bus. It is positioned at the 67° West position thanks to an agreement with the Andean Community to use the Simón Bolivar-2 satellite network. It replaces AMC-3 and AMC-4 to provide enhanced coverage and significant capacity expansion.
Intelsat 29e, also known as IS-29e was a high throughput (HTS) geostationary communications satellite designed and manufactured by Boeing Satellite Development Center on the BSS 702MP satellite bus. It is the first satellite of the EpicNG service, and covers North America and Latin America from the 50° West longitude, where it replaced Intelsat 1R. It also replaced Intelsat 805 which was moved from 56.5° West to 169° East. It has a mixed C-band, Ku-band and Ka-band payload with all bands featuring wide and the Ku- also featuring spot beams.