Nimiq
Encyclopedia
The Nimiq satellites are a fleet of geostationary telecommunications satellites owned by the Telesat and used by satellite television providers including Bell TV and EchoStar (Dish Network). '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.
K Blok DM-3 rocket from Baikonur Cosmodrome
in Kazakhstan
. It was Canada's first direct broadcast digital TV satellite and was paid for by Telesat, a Canadian communications company and subsidiary of Bell Canada Enterprises. Nimiq 1 Channels
rocket, includes 2 K-band transponders. Nimiq 2 provides additional bandwidth for HDTV
and interactive television applications. On February 20, 2003, Nimiq 2 experienced a partial power failure and as such can only power 26 of its 32 Ku-band transponders.
Inc. when they were already in orbit. Originally called DirectTV3 and DirectTV2 respectively, these Hughes HS-601 models were brought out of retirement and are currently used to share some of the workload from Nimiq 2 and Nimiq 1, respectively. They went online in Bell TV's stead in 2004 and 2006.
Nimiq 4i ran out of fuel and was replaced by Nimiq 4iR on April 28, 2007.
M / Breeze M rocket from Baikonur Cosmodrome
in Kazakhstan
. It will replace Nimiq 4i, and will provide advanced services such as high-definition television
, specialty channels and foreign language programming.
(ILS) for the launch of the Nimiq 5 satellite in 2009. Space Systems/Loral
has been selected as the manufacturer for Nimiq 5.
Dish Network
is expected to lease all of the 32 Ku-band transponder payload. The satellite will be located at 72.7° West longitude.
The satellite’s manufacturing plan also includes contracts with the Canadian satellite industry, including multiplexers and switches from Com Dev International Ltd. and antennas from MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates, Ltd (MDA Ltd).
The Nimiq 5 satellite was shipped from the manufacturer, Space Systems Loral located in Palo Alto California, to the Baikonur Space Center in Kazakhstan, on August 18, 2009 . Telesat Canada contracted with International Launch Services in April of 2007 for the launch of Nimiq 5 by an ILS Proton Briz M rocket.
Nimiq 5 was successfully launched into space aboard a Proton M / Breeze M rocket from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 12:19:19 pm PDT on September 17, 2009.
Nimiq 1
Nimiq 1 was launched on May 21, 1999 by a ProtonProton rocket
Proton is an expendable launch system used for both commercial and Russian government space launches. The first Proton rocket was launched in 1965 and the launch system is still in use as of 2011, which makes it one of the most successful heavy boosters in the history of spaceflight...
K Blok DM-3 rocket from Baikonur Cosmodrome
Baikonur Cosmodrome
The Baikonur Cosmodrome , also called Tyuratam, is the world's first and largest operational space launch facility. It is located in the desert steppe of Kazakhstan, about east of the Aral Sea, north of the Syr Darya river, near Tyuratam railway station, at 90 meters above sea level...
in Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe...
. It was Canada's first direct broadcast digital TV satellite and was paid for by Telesat, a Canadian communications company and subsidiary of Bell Canada Enterprises. Nimiq 1 Channels
- Manufacturer: Lockheed Martin
- Satellite Type: Lockheed MartinLockheed MartinLockheed Martin is an American global aerospace, defense, security, and advanced technology company with worldwide interests. It was formed by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta in March 1995. It is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, in the Washington Metropolitan Area....
A2100AX - Weight: 3600 kg (about 7920 pounds)
- Dimensions: 5.8 x 2.4 x 2.4 m and a 27 m² solar array
- DC power: 120 W
- Expected lifetime: 12 years
- Transponders: 32
- Vehicle: Proton K Bloc DM 3
Nimiq 2
Nimiq 2, launched on December 29, 2002 on a Proton Breeze MProton rocket
Proton is an expendable launch system used for both commercial and Russian government space launches. The first Proton rocket was launched in 1965 and the launch system is still in use as of 2011, which makes it one of the most successful heavy boosters in the history of spaceflight...
rocket, includes 2 K-band transponders. Nimiq 2 provides additional bandwidth for HDTV
High-definition television
High-definition television is video that has resolution substantially higher than that of traditional television systems . HDTV has one or two million pixels per frame, roughly five times that of SD...
and interactive television applications. On February 20, 2003, Nimiq 2 experienced a partial power failure and as such can only power 26 of its 32 Ku-band transponders.
Nimiq 3, 4i, 4iR
Nimiq 3 and Nimiq 4i were leased by Bell TV from DirecTVDirecTV
DirecTV is an American direct broadcast satellite service provider and broadcaster based in El Segundo, California. Its satellite service, launched on June 17, 1994, transmits digital satellite television and audio to households in the United States, Latin America, and the Anglophone Caribbean. ...
Inc. when they were already in orbit. Originally called DirectTV3 and DirectTV2 respectively, these Hughes HS-601 models were brought out of retirement and are currently used to share some of the workload from Nimiq 2 and Nimiq 1, respectively. They went online in Bell TV's stead in 2004 and 2006.
Nimiq 4i ran out of fuel and was replaced by Nimiq 4iR on April 28, 2007.
Nimiq 4
Nimiq 4 was launched on September 19, 2008, by a ProtonProton
The proton is a subatomic particle with the symbol or and a positive electric charge of 1 elementary charge. One or more protons are present in the nucleus of each atom, along with neutrons. The number of protons in each atom is its atomic number....
M / Breeze M rocket from Baikonur Cosmodrome
Baikonur Cosmodrome
The Baikonur Cosmodrome , also called Tyuratam, is the world's first and largest operational space launch facility. It is located in the desert steppe of Kazakhstan, about east of the Aral Sea, north of the Syr Darya river, near Tyuratam railway station, at 90 meters above sea level...
in Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe...
. It will replace Nimiq 4i, and will provide advanced services such as high-definition television
High-definition television
High-definition television is video that has resolution substantially higher than that of traditional television systems . HDTV has one or two million pixels per frame, roughly five times that of SD...
, specialty channels and foreign language programming.
- Manufacturer: Astrium
- Satellite Type: Astrium Eurostar E3000Eurostar (spacecraft)Eurostar is the brand name for a satellite bus made by Astrium which has been used for a series of spacecraft providing telecommunications services in geosynchronous orbit . More than 60 Eurostar satellites have been ordered to date, of which 45 have been successfully launched since October 1990...
- Weight: 4800 kg (about 10600 pounds )
- Dimensions: 39 m Solar array span
- Power: 12 kW at end of life
- Expected lifetime: 15 years
- Transponders: 32 Ku, and 8 in Ka-band.
- Vehicle: Proton Breeze M
Nimiq 5
Telesat has announced plans to build and launch its 19th satellite, Nimiq 5. It has selected International Launch ServicesInternational Launch Services
International Launch Services is a U.S.-Russian joint venture with exclusive rights to the worldwide sale of commercial Proton rocket launch services from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.- Ownership :...
(ILS) for the launch of the Nimiq 5 satellite in 2009. Space Systems/Loral
Space Systems/Loral
Space Systems/Loral , of Palo Alto, California, is the wholly owned manufacturing subsidiary of Loral Space & Communications. It was acquired in 1990 for $715 million by Loral Corp. from Ford Motor Company as the Space Systems Division of Ford Aerospace...
has been selected as the manufacturer for Nimiq 5.
Dish Network
Dish Network
Dish Network Corporation is the second largest pay TV provider in the United States, providing direct broadcast satellite service—including satellite television, audio programming, and interactive television services—to 14.337 million commercial and residential customers in the United States. Dish...
is expected to lease all of the 32 Ku-band transponder payload. The satellite will be located at 72.7° West longitude.
The satellite’s manufacturing plan also includes contracts with the Canadian satellite industry, including multiplexers and switches from Com Dev International Ltd. and antennas from MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates, Ltd (MDA Ltd).
The Nimiq 5 satellite was shipped from the manufacturer, Space Systems Loral located in Palo Alto California, to the Baikonur Space Center in Kazakhstan, on August 18, 2009 . Telesat Canada contracted with International Launch Services in April of 2007 for the launch of Nimiq 5 by an ILS Proton Briz M rocket.
Nimiq 5 was successfully launched into space aboard a Proton M / Breeze M rocket from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 12:19:19 pm PDT on September 17, 2009.