SES Americom release
SES AMERICOM Retires Spacenet-4 After 15 Years of Service
Excellent fuel management extended spacecraft service life through two
major missions
April 19, 2006 – Princeton, NJ – SES AMERICOM, an SES GLOBAL Company
(Luxembourg and Paris Euronext exchanges: SESG), conducted its last
operations on the Spacenet-4 (SN-4) satellite, safely de-orbiting the
satellite more than 200 km beyond the geosynchronous orbital belt. Since
late 2000, the satellite provided C-band intercontinental connectivity
across the Pacific Ocean from 172 degrees E.L. to customers delivering
content between East Asia and the U. S. west coast. In operation since
1991, SN-4 exceeded its expected service life by more than 50% due to
efficient management of on-board fuel.
“Spacenet-4 was a valuable spacecraft in our fleet and provided
consistent services to a great variety of customers while it operated
over the U.S. at 101 degrees West. During its 15 years of service, SN-4
supported broadcasters, cable programmers, government agencies,
educational institutions, advanced aeronautical and maritime services,
and private corporate networks delivering television, data, internet
access and distance learning. It’s a great reflection on the quality of
the spacecraft, as well as the quality of the team that operated it,
that we could depend on SN-4 for so long,” said Dany Harel, SES AMERICOM
Vice President, Space Systems and Operations.
About Spacenet 4 spacecraft
The Series 3000 spacecraft was built by GE ASTRO SPACE, now Lockheed
Martin, with a design life of 10 years. Initially operated by GTE
Spacenet, a VSAT services company acquired by GE AMERICOM in 1994,
Spacenet-4 was launched on a Delta rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida
in April 1991. The communications payload on the spacecraft was
comprised of six 72 MHz and twelve 36 MHz C-band transponders plus six
72 MHz Ku-band transponders. SN-4’s original mission was at 101 degrees
W.L., where it operated until early 2000 when it was relocated to 81
degrees W.L. and later that year, to 172 degrees E.L. The satellite’s
primary Tracking, Telemetry and Control operations were performed at
AMERICOM’s Satellite Control Center at Woodbine, Maryland. In the long
service history of the spacecraft, its customers included Connexion by
Boeing, Gannet, L-3 Communications, MCI Worldcom, The New York Times,
Turner Broadcasting, and the U.S. Government (including Departments of
Defense and Justice).
About SES AMERICOM
The largest supplier of satellite services in the Americas, SES
AMERICOM, Inc. is recognized as a pioneer of global satellite
communications services. Established in 1973 with its first satellite
circuit for the U.S. Department of Defense, the company currently
operates a fleet of 17 spacecraft in orbital positions predominantly
providing service throughout the Americas. As a member of the SES GLOBAL
family, SES AMERICOM is able to provide end-to-end telecommunications
solutions to any region in the world. In 2001, the company established
AMERICOM Government Services, a wholly owned subsidiary dedicated to
providing satellite-based communications solutions to both civilian and
defense agencies of the U.S. government. With its combined operations,
SES AMERICOM serves broadcasters, cable programmers, aeronautical and
maritime communications integrators, Internet service providers, mobile
communications networks, government agencies, educational institutions,
carriers and secure global data networks with efficient communication
and content distribution solutions.
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