Home Page ContentPress Releases Intelsat 17 Launch Successful; Strengthens Intelsat’s Media Neighborhood at 66º East

Intelsat 17 Launch Successful; Strengthens Intelsat’s Media Neighborhood at 66º East

by david.nunes

Luxembourg, 26 November 2010
Intelsat S.A., the world’s leading provider of fixed satellite services, announced today that Arianespace successfully launched the Intelsat 17 satellite (IS-17). The Ariane 5 vehicle lifted off from Kourou, French Guiana, at 1:39 p.m. EST, followed by spacecraft separation and signal acquisition at approximately 2:06 p.m. EST.

The satellite, built by Space Systems/Loral, will provide C- and Ku-band capacity across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Russia and Asia from the 66º E orbital location. This satellite will replace the Intelsat 702 satellite and is designed to provide service for the next 16 years. IS-17 is slated to enter service in the first quarter of 2011.

“Intelsat 17 is an important addition to our fleet, allowing us to expand our successful Asian video distribution neighborhood located at 68.5º E, on the Intelsat 10 satellite,” said Dave McGlade, Intelsat CEO. “This satellite’s enhanced transponders include linear C-band capacity and multi-continental coverage that is attractive to programmers looking to expand distribution in a region that extends across Asia and into Europe and Africa.”

IS-17 is part of a nine-satellite investment program, the largest in Intelsat’s history. The investment program is expected to provide enhanced high-powered capacity to Intelsat’s global fleet. Intelsat’s next launch is expected to be the Intelsat New Dawn satellite, slated for launch in late first quarter 2011 and to be located at 33º E. This satellite will deliver new capacity for voice, wireless backhaul, Internet and media applications for customers serving Africa.

About Intelsat

Intelsat is the leading provider of fixed satellite services worldwide. For over 45 years, Intelsat has been delivering information and entertainment for many of the world’s leading media and network companies, multinational corporations, Internet Service Providers and governmental agencies. Intelsat’s satellite, teleport and fiber infrastructure is unmatched in the industry, setting the standard for transmissions of video, data and voice services. From the globalization of content and the proliferation of HD, to the expansion of cellular networks and broadband access, with Intelsat, advanced communications anywhere in the world are closer, by far.

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