SPACEWAY-2
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| General information | |
|---|---|
| Launch Date | 16 November 2005 |
| Launch Mass | 6,116 kg |
| Orbit Mass | |
| Manufacturer | Boeing |
| Model | 702 |
| Launcher/ Flight Number |
Arianespace Ariane 5 ECA |
| Lifetime | 12 years |
| Transponder Information | |
| Transponder Capacity | 500 MHz |
| Twta output power | |
| Bandwidth | |
| EIRP | |
| Sundries | |
| Expendable Energy | |
| Location | |
| Former location | |
| Current location | 99.2°W |
| List of broadcast satellites | |
SPACEWAY-2 is part of DirecTV’s constellation of direct broadcast satellites. The satellite was launched via an Arianespace Ariane 5 ECA rocket from Kourou, French Guiana on 16 November 2005. Its operational position is in geosynchronous orbit 22,300 miles (35,800 km) above the equator at 99.2 degrees west longitude. SPACEWAY-2 is a Boeing 702-model satellite with a 12-year life expectancy. It is expected to support high definition television to DirecTV customers with its Ka-band communications payload. Although SPACEWAY-2 was originally built by Boeing to be used for broadband Internet access via HughesNet, it has been retrofitted to deliver HD local channels (NBC, ABC, CBS, & FOX) to numerous markets nationwide.
On April 19th, 2006 the satellite was delivered to DirecTV's control after successful on-orbit testing. SPACEWAY-2 immediately started broadcasting HD locals to DirecTV customers in eight more markets: Minneapolis, Minnesota; Sacramento and San Diego, California; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Nashville, Tennessee; Kansas City, Missouri.; Columbus, Ohio; and Birmingham, Alabama. Satellites named DirecTV-10 and DirecTV-11 are currently under construction by Boeing also for use in high definition television but these satellites are expected to be bent-pipe Ka-band satellites instead of regenerative satellites and are expected to be launched in 2007.
The third satellite in the SPACEWAY series called SPACEWAY-3 is currently under construction with plans to launch it in 2007. This satellite is instead expected to be used by Hughes Network Systems as part of its business and consumer broadband satellite service currently called HughesNet.
SPACEWAY-2 was originally part of the SPACEWAY system envisioned as a global Ka-band communications system.
Boeing retrofitted the SPACEWAY-2 satellite for bent-pipe Ka-band communications for use in high definition television and disabled the regenerative on-board processing of the original system that was to be used for the SPACEWAY broadband satellite communications.
