AT&T satellite fleet

The AT&T satellite fleet is a group of communications satellites located at various geostationary orbits that AT&T uses for the DirecTV satellite television service and HughesNet (formerly known as DirecWAY and DirecPC) internet service. The "DirecTV" prefix in their names has been changed to "T".[1][2]

Satellites and their orbits

Defunct satellites are highlighted in gold.

SatelliteOrbital slotLaunch date*Launch vehicleSatellite typeSeparated massMass at BOLMass at EOLStatus
DirecTV-1109.8°WDecember 17, 1993Ariane 4Hughes Electronics HS-6012,970 kilograms (6,550 lb) at GTO[3]1,680 kilograms (3,700 lb)1,300 kilograms (2,900 lb)Defunct as of February 2009 [4]
DirecTV-2[A]100.8°WAugust 3, 1994Atlas IIA[5]Hughes Electronics HS-601Defunct as of May 2007
DirecTV-3[B]91.1°WJune 10, 1995Ariane 42-PHughes Electronics HS-601Renamed as Nimiq 3, defunct as of May 2009
DirecTV-6[C]109.5°WMarch 9, 1997Atlas IIA[6]Space Systems/Loral LS-1300Defunct as of August 2006
DirecTV-1R[D]55.8°EOctober 10, 1999Zenit-3SLHughes Electronics HS-601HPDefunct as of May 2014
DirecTV-4S(or T4S) 101.2° WNovember 27, 2001Ariane 4Hughes Electronics HS-601PDefunct as of October 2019
T5 (satellite)110.1° W[7]May 7, 2002ProtonSpace Systems/Loral LS-13003,640 kilograms (8,025 lb) at TO[8]Operational
Galaxy 3C[E]95°W June 15, 2002Zenit-3SLBoeing BSS-702Operational, to be removed from fleet
T7S119.0°WMay 4, 2004Zenit-3SLSpace Systems/Loral LS-1300Operational
T8[G]100.8°W (moving)May 22, 2005Proton MSpace Systems/Loral LS-1300Operational
SPACEWAY-1103.0°WApril 26, 2005Zenit-3SLBoeing BSS-702Defunct as of February 2020
SPACEWAY-299.2°WNovember 16, 2005Ariane 5 ECABoeing BSS-702Operational
T9S[F]101.1°WOctober 13, 2006Ariane 5 ECASpace Systems/Loral LS-1300Operational
T10 (satellite)103.0°WJuly 7, 2007Proton MBoeing BSS-7025,893 kilograms (12,992 lb) at GTO[9]Operational
T1199.2°WMarch 19, 2008Zenit-3SLBoeing BSS-7026,060 kilograms (13,360 lb) at GTO[10]3,700 kilograms (8,200 lb)[10]Operational
T12103.0°WDecember 28, 2009[11]Proton MBoeing BSS-702Operational
T14[12]99.2°W[13]December 6, 2014[14][15][16]Ariane 5[14]Space Systems/Loral LS-1300Operational
T15[17]103.0°W[18]May 27, 2015[18]Ariane 5[14]Astrium Eurostar E3000Operational
T16101.1°WJune 20, 2019[19]Ariane 5Eurostar E3000Operational

*Default sort column

A DirecTV-2 having reached the end of its useful life span, on April 16, 2007, the FCC granted DirecTV's request to conduct operations to move the satellite out to a disposal orbit and it was subsequently removed from service in May 2007.
B DirecTV-3 was removed from service in Oct 2002 and sent to a storage orbit as an on-orbit backup. It returned to service in 2003 having been leased to Telesat, which used the satellite as backup for its troubled Nimiq-2 at 82 degrees West under the designation Nimiq-2i. In 2004 the satellite was moved to back up Nimiq-1 and operated as Nimiq 3 until 2009.
C DirecTV-6 went out of service August 15, 2006 and sent to a graveyard orbit having suffered damage from a solar flare in April 1997 as well as other solar array and power fluctuation problems.[20]
D DirecTV-1R having reached the end of its useful lifespan, was removed from service in 2014. From 2012 to 2014, it was leased to the Russian Satellite Communications Company and was located at 55.8 degrees East as a stopgap supplement to the RSCC's aging Bonum 1 satellite due to delays of the RSCC's Express-AT1 satellite.[21] Express-AT1 entered service on March 15, 2014, and both Bonum 1 and DirecTV-1R have since been deorbited.
E Galaxy 3C is operated by Intelsat. DirecTV leases non-DBS FSS transponders for international programming under the auspices of the DirecTV World Direct package.
F T9S was an in-orbit spare for DirecTV-4S, and didn’t start broadcasting any channels until 2011.
G T8 was launched on May 22, 2005, and spent 15 years of its operations at 100.8 degrees west. T8 is slated to move to 119 degrees west by the end of 2020.[22]

Details of satellite fleet

DirecTV-1R

DirecTV-1R was launched in 1999. It was the first satellite used to broadcast local channels for DirecTV in major DMAs, and was positioned at 101.2° W when it first entered service. In 2004, when DirecTV completed moving all local channels in major DMAs to DirecTV-4S, DirecTV-1R was repositioned to 72.5° W to provide local channels for smaller DMAs not served by satellites in the 101° W, 110° W, or 119° W positions. From 2004 to 2011 in these smaller DMAs, a separate dish was required to obtain local channels. In early 2012, DirecTV-1R was briefly repositioned to 109.8° W as a spare for DirecTV-5, however, in mid-2012, it was announced that DirecTV-1R would be leased to the Russian Satellite Communications Company, and was repositioned to its current location at 55.8° E in late 2012 as a stopgap supplement to the RSCC's aging Bonum 1 satellite due to delays of the RSCC's Express-AT1 satellite. Express-AT1 was launched on March 15, 2014 and both DirecTV-1R and Bonum 1 have since been deorbited.

T4S

T4S (formerly DirecTV-4S) was the fifth Boeing Satellite Systems built satellite, the Boeing 601HP satellite, it was successfully launched November 27, 2001 aboard an Ariane 44LP rocket from the Guiana Space Center on the northeastern coast of South America. It is stationed at 101° West longitude. T4S is a 9,400-pound, 86-foot-long, and 24.5-foot-wide high powered satellite, with the commercial debut of two important spacecraft technologies. This is the first satellite both for DirecTV and Boeing that employs spot beams. This technology reuses the same frequencies on multiple spot beams to reach the major television markets where DirecTV delivers the signals of local network affiliates. Further details, the satellite carries two Ku-band payloads: spot beams for local channels, and a national beam payload. The spot beam payload will use a total of 38 traveling wave-tube amplifiers (TWTAs) ranging in power from 30 to 88 watts. The national beam payload carries two active transponders with further capability for two active high-power transponders and six active low-power transponders. It has a 15-year projected life span, so roughly till November 2016, unless it is extended.[23] T4S started its deorbiting process in September 2019.[24]

Galaxy 3C

Galaxy 3C is a geostationary communications satellite located at 95° W. It was launched on June 15, 2002, with a Sea Launch vehicle, and is currently active on the C and Ku bands, with 24 transponders for each. Owned by Intelsat, some of the satellite's users include DirecTV's Brazil and Latin America systems, the Racetrack TV Network DBS service, and HughesNet. DirecTV is currently slowly discontinuing use of this satellite, with international channels moving to T12 and T14.

Rite-Aid, TJ Maxx, and Chevron use Galaxy 3C as a VSAT platform.

Spaceway 1 and Spaceway 2

The SPACEWAY satellites were originally designed for use by Hughes Electronics to provide both TV and broadband internet service. The satellites were re-purposed for DirecTV after News Corporation purchased a controlling interest in Hughes. Though Spaceway 1 was damaged and subsequently shut down in February 2020, Spaceway 2 continues to operate as a backup satellite.[25]

T10, T11, and T12

AT&T satellites 10, 11, and 12 are Boeing model 702 satellites designed to deliver high definition television to the continental United States, Hawaii, and Alaska.

DirecTV successfully launched T12 (then known as DirecTV-12), on December 28, 2009.[11] It became fully operational on May 19, 2010.

T14, T15 and T16

T14 (then known as DirecTV-14) was launched on December 6, 2014. T14 is a 6300 kilogram satellite, and houses 76 Ka-band transponders. It also features 18 Reverse-band transponders, a first for DirecTV. The spacecraft was built by Space Systems/Loral on their SSL-1300 bus, and has a scheduled lifetime of fifteen years. T14 is also capable of delivering 4K services. T15 was launched 5 months later on May 27, 2015. Weighing 6205 kilograms, the satellite is fitted with 30 Ku-band transponders, 24 Ka-band transponders, and 18 Reverse band transponders, and is able to operate from five orbital locations. It uses the Eurostar 3000 satellite bus. T16 was launched on June 20, 2019 and is practically identical to T15, the only difference being that T16 is built on the LX Hybrid version of the E300 bus. It will replace several satellites (T4S, T5 and Galaxy 3C) that have reached their end-of-life.[26]

gollark: Well, the political system does select for people like that a bit...
gollark: You know, if you think about it, all these explanations are terrible for everyone else (well, in Australia, or actually most western countries). Yay!
gollark: That anti-encryption law.
gollark: I find it really hard to believe that Australia's government is *accidentally* this stupid.
gollark: True, true.

See also
  • List of broadcast satellites
  • DirecTV

References
  1. "EXHIBIT 1: REQUEST FOR SPECIAL TEMPORARY AUTHORITY".
  2. "Jennifer D. Hindin letter to FCC".
  3. Rocket Thrust Equation and Launch Vehicles
  4. "TSE- DBS 1". TBS Internet- The Satellite Encyclopedia.
  5. "DIRECTV 2 (DBS 2)". N2YO.com. Retrieved 2009-11-09.
  6. "DIRECTV 6 (TEMPO 2)". N2YO.com. Retrieved 2009-11-09.
  7. "DIRECTV 5 (TEMPO 1)". N2YO.com.
  8. Proton Launch Advisory: DIRECTV-5
  9. ILS Proton to Launch DIRECTV 10 Archived 2010-10-11 at the Wayback Machine
  10. DIRECTV 10, 11 and 12 Archived 2010-01-18 at the Wayback Machine
  11. DirecTV Press Release December 29, 2009 DIRECTV HD and Movie Choices to Get a Lift With Successful Satellite Launch - DIRECTV 12 Boosts Satellite Fleet's Capacity to More Than 200 HD Channels; Begins Operation First Half of Next Year Archived January 2, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  12. Space Systems/Loral Selected to Provide High-Power Satellite to DIRECTV Space Systems/Loral Press Release June 11, 2010
  13. "Planned Satellite Launches 2014 | SatLaunch.net". August 8, 2013. Retrieved August 15, 2013.
  14. "DirecTV Taps Arianespace for At Least Two Launches". September 13, 2011. Archived from the original on February 2, 2013. Retrieved August 12, 2012.
  15. "Planned 2014 Launches | LyngSat". Archived from the original on September 16, 2013. Retrieved August 19, 2013.
  16. "DirecTV 14 set for December 4 Launch". November 15, 2014. Retrieved December 1, 2014.
  17. Astrium contracted to build DIRECTV 15 communications satellite Archived 2012-06-03 at the Wayback Machine Astrium Press Release November 4, 2011
  19. "The AT&T T-16 and EUTELSAT 7C satellites are readied for Arianespace's next Ariane 5 launch". Ariane Space. 2019-06-05.
  20. DirecTV-6 details including move to junkyard orbit
  21. APPLICATION FOR AUTHORIZATION TO OPERATE DIRECTV 1R, A DIRECT BROADCAST SATELLITE - Federal Communications Commission
  22. {{cite web|url=http://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/ib/forms/reports/swr031b.hts?q_set=V_SITE_ANTENNA_FREQ.file_numberC/File+Number/%3D/SATMOD2020081000094&prepare=&column=V_SITE_ANTENNA_FREQ.file_numberC/File+Number%7Ctitle=SATMOD2020081000094%7Cpublisher=Federal Communications Commission|access-date=17 August 2020
  23. "Successful Launch Sends Boeing-Built DIRECTV-4S Satellite to Orbit". Boeing.
  24. FCC Record: A Comprehensive Compilation of Decisions ..., Volume 27, Issue 1.
  25. Henry, Caleb (2020-01-22). "DirecTV fears explosion risk from satellite with damaged battery". SpaceNews. Retrieved 2020-01-22.
  26. Henry, Caleb (June 20, 2019). "Ariane 5 lofts satellites for AT&T, Eutelsat". Space News.

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