Wed, Dec 26, 2007
Spacecraft Is Performing As Expected Early In Its
Mission
Orbital Sciences has announced that
their Horizons-2 satellite was successfully launched into orbit
during a mission that took place on Friday, December 21, 2007. The
Horizons-2 spacecraft was delivered into its initial orbit by an
Ariane 5 rocket launched from the European space launch complex
(located near the Equator in French Guiana). Results from early
tests of the satellite conducted over the weekend indicate that it
is operating as planned for this phase of its mission.
Orbital designed, manufactured and tested the Horizons-2
satellite for HORIZONS-2 SATELLITE, LLC, a joint venture between
Intelsat, Ltd. of Bermuda and JSAT Corporation of Japan. The
spacecraft will occupy an orbital slot at 74 degrees West Longitude
to help meet the growing demand for Ku-band satellite
communications services in North America. The satellite features
both a continental U.S. (CONUS) beam and an East Coast beam, which
will extend the spacecraft’s coverage to include the
Caribbean and parts of Canada. The Horizons-2 satellite was the
third Orbital-built GEO communications satellite to be launched in
2007, following the launch, deployment and commissioning of the
Intelsat 11 and Optus D2 satellites in October.
“The early results of the mission indicate that the
Horizons-2 satellite is performing just as we would expect it to be
as we embark on the more extensive set of in-orbit tests and orbit
raising maneuvers over the next several weeks,” stated Mr.
Christopher Richmond, Senior Vice President and head of
Orbital’s GEO satellite product division. “We are
grateful to Arianespace for another excellent launch campaign,
resulting in the accurate deployment of the Horizons-2
satellite.”
During the next several days, the Horizons-2 satellite will
perform a series of orbit-raising burns using its onboard rocket
engines to achieve a circular orbit approximately 22,300 miles
(35,800 kilometers) above the Earth. For several weeks afterwards,
the mission engineering teams from Intelsat, JSAT and Orbital will
conduct a comprehensive series of tests to ensure the spacecraft is
ready for final hand-over to the customer.
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