The Anik satellites are geostationary communications satellites launched by Telesat Canada for television in Canada. In Inuktitut, Anik means "little brother".[1]
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| Name | Satellite type | Launched | Retired | Launch vehicle |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anik A1 | Hughes Aircraft HS333 | November 9, 1972 | July 15, 1982 | Delta 1914 rocket |
| Anik A2 | Hughes Aircraft HS333 | April 20, 1973 | October 6, 1982 | Delta rocket |
| Anik A3 | Hughes Aircraft HS333 | May 7, 1975 | November 21, 1984 | Delta rocket |
| Anik B1 | RCA Astro Satcom | December 15, 1978[2] | December 1, 1986 | Delta rocket |
| Anik C1 | Hughes Aircraft HS376 | April 12, 1985 | May 5, 2003 | Space Shuttle Discovery |
| Anik C2 | Hughes Aircraft HS376 | June 18, 1983 | January 7, 1998 | Space Shuttle Challenger |
| Anik C3 | Hughes Aircraft HS376 | November 11, 1982 | June 18, 1997 | Space Shuttle Columbia |
| Anik D1 | Hughes Aircraft HS376 | August 26, 1982 | December 16, 1991 | Delta rocket |
| Anik D2 | Hughes Aircraft HS376 | November 8, 1984 | January 31, 1995 | Space Shuttle Discovery |
| Anik E1 | GE Astro 5000 | September 26, 1991 | January 18, 2005 | Ariane 4 |
| Anik E2 | GE Astro 5000 | April 4, 1991 | November 23, 2005 | Ariane 4 |
| Anik F1 | HS 702 (Boeing 702) | November 21, 2000 | Still in use | Ariane 4 |
| Anik F2 | Boeing 702 | July 17, 2004 | Still in use | Ariane 5G |
| Anik F1R | Eurostar E3000 | September 9, 2005 | Still in use | Proton/Breeze-M |
| Anik F3 | Eurostar E3000 | April 10, 2007 | Still in use | Proton/Breeze-M |
The Anik A satellites were the world's first national domestic satellites. They gave the CBC the ability to reach the Canadian North for the first time. Each of the satellites was equipped with 12 C-band transponders, and thus had the capacity for 12 colour television channels.
There is a detailed description of the Anik A satellites on the Boeing Satellite Systems website here.
The Anik B satellite had twelve C-band transponders like the Anik As, with an additional six Ku band transponders.
It was launched on December 15, 1978 and was the successor to the Anik A series and Hermes (aka Communications Technology Satellite, or CTS) experimental satellite.
Most of the transponders were devoted to CBC Television -- East and West feed, CBC Parliamentary Television Network, CITV-TV Edmonton, CHCH Hamilton, and TVOntario.
CNCP Telecommunications[3] also used Anik B as a relay for its services. The Globe and Mail used Anik B to transmit copy to printing plants across Canada.[4]
The Anik C satellite series was three times more powerful than the Anik A series. They each had sixteen Ku band transponders.
There is a detailed description of the Anik C satellites on the Boeing Satellite Systems website here.
Anik C-3 was used to distribute Canada's first pay television networks -- First Choice, Superchannel, C-Channel, Star Channel, AIM Pay-TV since February 1983.
Anik C-3 transponder lineup (1983):
Anik D1 & D2 series C-Band satellites were launched in 1982 and 1984. They were based on the Hughes 376 design. Anik D1 carried the CANCOM package - a group of television signals for use by cable companies.
Anik E1 & E2 were launched in the early 1990s to replace Anik D1 & D2. Unlike the cylinder-shaped satellites of the D-series, these were regular type satellites, but newer generation.
Anik E2 experienced an anomaly during deployment of its C-band antenna, which was successfully deployed after several corrective maneuvers. [5]
On Thursday, January 20, 1994 Anik E1 and E2 suffered problems due to solar activity. E1 failed first at 12:50 (EST), knocking out satellite-delivered television signals in Canada. After a few hours, Telesat managed to restore normal functions on E1 at 20:15 EST. At 21:00 EST, E2 failed, as the gyroscope that helps keep the satellite positioned correctly had caused the signals not to point towards Earth. The exact problem lay with the circuitry having to do with the stabilizing momentum wheel.[6] E2 was not restored to service for five months; users had to relocate services to E1 and reposition satellite dishes; for some users, such as Northwestel in northern Canada, it meant days of flying technicians from one community to another to reposition the dishes.
Telesat ultimately restored E2 by constructing special earth stations at each end of the country to monitor the satellite's position, and using its control jets to finely position the satellite, but this shortened the satellite's lifetime as the fuel was intended for much less frequent adjustments along its geostationary orbit.
| General information | |
|---|---|
| Launch Date | November 21, 2000 |
| Launch Mass | 4710 kg |
| Orbit Mass | 3015 kg |
| Manufacturer | |
| Model | |
| Launcher / Flight Number |
Ariane 4 / Flight 136 [1] |
| Lifetime | 15 year |
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| Transponder Capacity | |
| Twta output power | |
| Bandwidth | |
| EIRP | |
| Sundries | |
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| Location | |
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| List of broadcast satellites | |
Anik F1 is a Canadian geosynchronous communications satellite that was launched on November 21, 2000 by an Ariane 4 rocket from the European Space Agency Guiana Space Centre at Kourou. At the moment of its launch it was the most powerful communications satellite ever built. It has an advanced xenon Ion thruster propulsion system and its communication "footprint" covers Central America as well as North America.
It was launched by Telesat, a Canadian communications company. The primary customers are the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Shaw Direct, CHUM Limited and Canadian Satellite Communications Inc.
The solar panels of Anik F1 degraded more rapidly than expected, and a replacement Anik F1R was launched in 2005, with Anik F1 switching to serving only South America [2]. Anik F1R also carries a GPS/WAAS payload.
At 5,900 kilograms (13,000 lb), it is more than ten times the size of Anik A1 and is one of the largest, most powerful communications satellites ever built. Anik F2 is a Boeing 702-series satellite, designed to support and enhance current North American voice, data, and broadcast services with its C- and Ku-band technologies. It is the fifteenth satellite to be launched by Telesat.
With its use of Ka band technology, low-cost two-way satellite delivery will be available for wireless broadband Internet connections, telemedicine, teleteaching, teleworking and e-commerce in the most remote regions of Canada.
On October 6, 2011 starting around 6:30 am EST a "technical anomaly" caused the satellite to point away from the earth causing an outage in Internet, telephone and bank machine connectivity throughout much of Canada's northern areas. The outage also affected flights in the region. [7][8][9]
According to SatNews Publishers, Anik F3 is a 4,634-kilogram (10,216 lb) broadcasting and telecommunications satellite which will provide direct-to-home television in the United States, broadband Internet and telecommunications for Bell Canada, and broadcast TV in northern and other remote areas of Canada.[10] It was built by EADS Astrium and launched on a Proton M rocket. It was successfully placed into orbit by International Launch Services, who also launched Anik F1R, Nimiq 1 and Nimiq 2.