SES-1
Encyclopedia
SES-1 is a Dutch
geostationary communications satellite
which is operated by SES World Skies. It was originally ordered by SES Americom
as a ground spare for AMC-5R, however in April 2008 a decision was made to launch it, and it was named AMC-1R. It was subsequently renamed AMC-4R, and finally SES-1 after SES Americom merged with SES New Skies
to form SES World Skies. It was the third World Skies satellite to be launched following the merger, but the first to carry the new SES designation. SES-1 operates in geostationary orbit
, and is intended to be located at a longitude
of 101 degrees West, where it will replace the AMC-2 and AMC-4 satellites, and be used broadcast high-definition television
to very small aperture terminal
s in the United States
.
SES-1 was built by Orbital Sciences Corporation
, and is based around the Star-2.4 satellite bus
. It is equipped with 24 G
/H band
(IEEE C band
), and 24 J band
(IEEE Ku band
) transponder
s, and at launch it had a mass of 3170 kilograms (6,988.7 lb). It has a design life of fifteen years, however it was launched with enough fuel to operate for at least sixteen if its systems are still functional.
The launch of SES-1 was conducted by International Launch Services
, using a Proton-M
carrier rocket with a Briz-M
upper stage. The launch occurred from Site 200/39
at the Baikonur Cosmodrome
, at 11:19:00 GMT on 24 April 2010. The launch successfully placed SES-1 into a subsynchronous orbit
close to geostationary altitude.
In May and June 2010, SES-1 was positioned close to 131° West to temporarily provide backup to the AMC-11
satellite in the event that AMC-11 could not continue broadcasting whilst it is moved out of the way of the failed Galaxy 15
satellite, which passed close to it at the end of May. In the end, services provided by AMC-11 were not interrupted.
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
geostationary communications satellite
Communications satellite
A communications satellite is an artificial satellite stationed in space for the purpose of telecommunications...
which is operated by SES World Skies. It was originally ordered by SES Americom
SES Americom
SES Americom was a major commercial satellite operator based in the United States. Formerly RCA Americom and GE Americom, the company became one of the principal parts of SES S.A.....
as a ground spare for AMC-5R, however in April 2008 a decision was made to launch it, and it was named AMC-1R. It was subsequently renamed AMC-4R, and finally SES-1 after SES Americom merged with SES New Skies
SES NEW SKIES
SES World Skies—formerly SES New Skies, New Skies Satellites , and SES Americom—is a Dutch operator of communications spacecraft, owned by SES.On 30 November 1998, several former Intelsat satellites were transferred to New Skies’ control...
to form SES World Skies. It was the third World Skies satellite to be launched following the merger, but the first to carry the new SES designation. SES-1 operates in geostationary orbit
Geostationary orbit
A geostationary orbit is a geosynchronous orbit directly above the Earth's equator , with a period equal to the Earth's rotational period and an orbital eccentricity of approximately zero. An object in a geostationary orbit appears motionless, at a fixed position in the sky, to ground observers...
, and is intended to be located at a longitude
Longitude
Longitude is a geographic coordinate that specifies the east-west position of a point on the Earth's surface. It is an angular measurement, usually expressed in degrees, minutes and seconds, and denoted by the Greek letter lambda ....
of 101 degrees West, where it will replace the AMC-2 and AMC-4 satellites, and be used broadcast 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...
to very small aperture terminal
Very small aperture terminal
A very-small-aperture terminal , is a two-way satellite ground station or a stabilized maritime Vsat antenna with a dish antenna that is smaller than 3 meters. The majority of VSAT antennas range from 75 cm to 1.2 m. Data rates typically range from 56 kbps up to 4 Mbps...
s in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
SES-1 was built by Orbital Sciences Corporation
Orbital Sciences Corporation
Orbital Sciences Corporation is an American company which specializes in the manufacturing and launch of satellites. Its Launch Systems Group is heavily involved with missile defense launch systems...
, and is based around the Star-2.4 satellite bus
Satellite bus
A satellite bus or spacecraft bus is the general model on which multiple-production satellite spacecraft are often based. The bus is the infrastructure of a spacecraft, usually providing locations for the payload .They are most commonly used for geosynchronous satellites, particularly...
. It is equipped with 24 G
G band
-NATO G band:The G band in the modern sense is the range of radio frequencies from 4 GHz to 6 GHz in the electromagnetic spectrum. This is equal to wave lengths between 7.5 cm and 5 cm...
/H band
H band
H band can refer to two different regions of the electromagnetic spectrum, in the radio and near-infrared.-Radio:The H band is the range of radio frequencies from 6 GHz to 8 GHz in the electromagnetic spectrum. This is equal to wave lengths between 5 cm and 3.75 cm...
(IEEE C band
C band
The C band is a name given to certain portions of the electromagnetic spectrum, including wavelengths of microwaves that are used for long-distance radio telecommunications. The IEEE C-band - and its slight variations - contains frequency ranges that are used for many satellite communications...
), and 24 J band
J band
J band can refer to two different regions of the electromagnetic spectrum, in the radio and near-infrared.-Radio:The J band is the range of radio frequencies from 10 GHz to 20 GHz in the electromagnetic spectrum. This is equal to wave lengths between...
(IEEE Ku band
Ku band
The Kμ band is a portion of the electromagnetic spectrum in the microwave range of frequencies. This symbol refers to —in other words, the band directly below the K-band...
) transponder
Transponder
In telecommunication, the term transponder has the following meanings:...
s, and at launch it had a mass of 3170 kilograms (6,988.7 lb). It has a design life of fifteen years, however it was launched with enough fuel to operate for at least sixteen if its systems are still functional.
The launch of SES-1 was conducted by International Launch Services
International 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 :...
, using a Proton-M
Proton-M
The Proton-M, GRAU index 8K82M or 8K82KM, is a Russian carrier rocket derived from the Soviet-developed Proton. It is built by Khrunichev, and launched from sites 81 and 200 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Commercial launches are marketed by International Launch Services , and generally...
carrier rocket with a Briz-M
Briz-M
The Briz-M , is a Russian orbit insertion upper stage manufactured by Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center and used on the Proton-M rocket.- Characteristics :...
upper stage. The launch occurred from Site 200/39
Baikonur Cosmodrome Site 200
Site 200 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome is a launch site used by Proton rockets. It consists of two launch pads, areas 39 and 40. Area 39 is currently used for Proton-M launches, including commercial flights conducted by International Launch Services. Area 40 is currently inactive, as it was slated to...
at the 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...
, at 11:19:00 GMT on 24 April 2010. The launch successfully placed SES-1 into a subsynchronous orbit
Subsynchronous orbit
A subsynchronous orbit is an orbit of a satellite that is nearer the planet than it would be if it were in synchronous orbit, i.e. the orbital period is less than the sidereal day of the planet. An Earth satellite that is in subsynchronous orbit will appear to drift eastward as seen from the...
close to geostationary altitude.
In May and June 2010, SES-1 was positioned close to 131° West to temporarily provide backup to the AMC-11
AMC-11
AMC-11 , previously GE-11, is a Dutch, previously American geostationary communications satellite which is operated by SES World Skies. It is currently positioned in geostationary orbit at a longitude of 131 degrees West, from where it is used to relay cable television across North America for...
satellite in the event that AMC-11 could not continue broadcasting whilst it is moved out of the way of the failed Galaxy 15
Galaxy 15
Galaxy 15 is an American telecommunications satellite which is owned by Intelsat. It was launched for and originally operated by PanAmSat, and was subsequently transferred to Intelsat when the two companies merged in 2006. It was originally positioned in geostationary orbit at a longitude of 133°...
satellite, which passed close to it at the end of May. In the end, services provided by AMC-11 were not interrupted.