Intelsat Blog

Intelsat Insider: Q1 Edition

noreply@blogger.com (Guest Blogger) — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 09:05:00 PST

Welcome to the first edition of the Intelsat Insider for 2012. In this edition of Insider, you’ll learn more about the satellites bringing new and replacement capacity to our customers across the globe.

Featured stories include:

-Intelsat Updates Calendar for Five Launch Missions in 2012
-Intelsat to Launch Carrier ID Pilot Program this Summer
-Intelsat's Global Mobility Network Readies for Primetime
-Intelsat New Dawn MCPC Platform Set to Debut as Africa Media Market Heats Up
-Intelsat Dedicates Occasional Use Capacity for a Busy 2012

We have a major technology announcement coming in March so check back to learn how we’re taking the satellite industry to new heights.

This quarter, we’ll be attending CABSAT conference in Dubai, Satellite 2012 in Washington, DC and in April the NAB trade show in Las Vegas. Stop by our exhibit if you’re attending these events. We hope to see you there!

Intelsat Insider: Q4 Edition

noreply@blogger.com (Guest Blogger) — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 13:52:00 PST

You’re invited to read the latest Intelsat Insider. The Insider, which is now being issued on a quarterly basis, combines global updates on Intelsat’s services and products with regional insights on the applications driving our customers’ growth.

Our featured stories include:

-Intelsat 18 Launch Successful; to Offer Capacity to Pacific Ocean Region

-GVT to Launch Brazilian Direct-to-Home Platform via Intelsat’s Flexible Fleet

-Intelsat Adds Capabilities to Address Mobility Demand

-Intelsat, GlobeCast Prepare for London Games

-Improving Satellite Communications Amidst the Challenges of Solar Weather

-DIRECTV Strengthens Commitment to Latin America

We hope that you like the new Insider format. The next edition will be released in February 2012.

Intelsat at AfricaCom in Cape Town

noreply@blogger.com (Guest Blogger) — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 08:15:00 PST

Intelsat welcomes guests to its booth at AfricaCom in Cape Town, South Africa.

Intelsat at SATCON 2011 in New York City

noreply@blogger.com (Guest Blogger) — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 10:22:00 PDT

Images of the Intelsat booth at SATCON 2011 in New York City.

Intelsat General President Kay Sears (center/right) participates on the Future Resiliency in SATCON panel.

Intelsat General VP Richard DalBello (center) presents on a panel focused on satellite life extension.

Intelsat General VP Don Brown (far right) presents opportunities and challenges for hosted payloads.

Intelsat 18 Launch Successful; to Offer Capacity to Pacific Ocean Region

noreply@blogger.com (Guest Blogger) — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 04:41:00 PDT

Luxembourg, 5 October 2011
Intelsat S.A., the world’s leading provider of satellite services, announced today that a Sea Launch AG-provided Land Launch Zenit-3SLB vehicle successfully launched the Intelsat 18 satellite from the Baikonur Space Center in Kazakhstan. Liftoff occurred at 5 p.m. EDT (21:00 GMT), followed by spacecraft separation at 11:34 p.m. EDT (03:34 GMT).

Built by Orbital Sciences Corporation, the satellite will provide capacity to enable enhanced DTH coverage and network services capabilities via Ku-band and C-band platforms. Once operational in November, it will replace Intelsat 701 at 180ºE and is expected to have a useful life of nearly 17 years.

“Intelsat 18 will provide the infrastructure for customers to deliver media content directly to homes throughout the Pacific Ocean region, as well as broadband services to government and commercial users,” said Intelsat CEO David McGlade. “Intelsat’s strategy aligns our fleet investments to support our customers’ growth needs. The Intelsat 18 payload includes a Ku-band beam designed to meet the requirements of Office des Postes et Telecommunications (OPT) of French Polynesia. The customer will use this beam to provide new broadband, expand its domestic DTH service and improve its infrastructure across French Polynesia, with the ability to serve the South Pacific.”

OPT currently provides services to the Pacific Ocean region on Intelsat 701.

Intelsat 18 Launch Delayed 24 Hours

noreply@blogger.com (Guest Blogger) — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 13:57:00 PDT

Today’s scheduled launch of Intelsat 18 has been delayed 24 hours. Orbital Sciences Corporation, the manufacturer of the satellite, is evaluating an out-of-specification parameter on Intelsat 18. The new estimated launch time is 5 p.m. EDT (21:00 GMT) on Wednesday, 5 October.

Intelsat 18: Satellite was Encapsulated Today

noreply@blogger.com (Guest Blogger) — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 09:14:00 PDT

The Intelsat 18 satellite was encapsulated today. Here you see the (Left to Right); Block DM-SLB Upper Stage, Intelsat 18 satellite and the Fairing.

Intelsat 18: Fast Facts

noreply@blogger.com (Guest Blogger) — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 07:12:00 PDT

Intelsat 18 is scheduled to launch on October 4th at 5 PM EST (U.S) from Baikonur, Kazakhstan. This is the first of seven Intelsat launch missions between now and the first quarter of 2013.

The satellite will carry a hybrid C- and Ku-band payload. The satellite's C-band payload will serve East Asia, the Pacific Ocean region and the western U.S. The Ku-band payload will serve French Polynesia, eastern Australia and the U.S. This satellite will replace Intelsat’s IS-701 spacecraft at 180ºE and begin service in November 2011.

Fast Facts about IS-18:

• The Land Launch vehicle that is launching the Intelsat 18 satellite is officially known as the Zenit 3SLB Integrated Launch Vehicle.

• The Zenit is built in the Ukraine and was originally designed as a strap-on booster to launch the Buran, the Russian Space Shuttle.

• The Block DM is built in Moscow and is a multi-functional upper stage vehicle used in many configurations (on Proton and Zenit rockets).

Intelsat 18: Satellite Fueling Operations Completed

noreply@blogger.com (Guest Blogger) — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 10:15:00 PDT

The Intelsat 18 satellite completed fueling operations on September 19, 2011 here in at the Baikonur Cosmodrome. Everything went as planned and we are on schedule with our October 4 launch.

The satellite is transferred from the satellite test processing facility, where it was examined to ensure there were no issues after it left the Orbital factory. It then went to the hazardous processing facility via a rail system. Here in Baikonur, all transfers are done with rail cars and locomotives. This legacy system, from the Soviet times, is the preferred method for transferring rockets and satellites between facilities. Every processing facility in Baikonur has indoor rails that allow the space products to be parked right into the building.

In the first picture, you see the green locomotive, the blue thermal car (provides clean, conditioned air to the satellite container) and the grey satellite container in the background. This container, known as the interfaculty trailer provides environmental protection as the satellite is moved from the testing facility to the fueling facility.

In the second picture, the satellite is being lowered onto a stand inside a tented facility to begin fueling operations. The room is specifically designed to accommodate fueling of the satellite, which is an extremely hazardous operation.

Personnel will don environmental suits with an external air supply, as shown in the third photo.

Coming up this week:

Combined Operations: This is where the satellite comes together with the booster, the Block DM-SLB. The Intelsat 18 satellite will be mounted on top of the upper stage followed by encapsulation with the fairing.

IBC 2011: Kurt Riegelman & TIBA CEO Norberto Alvarez agree on a Intelsat 27 contract extension

noreply@blogger.com (Guest Blogger) — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 07:29:00 PDT

At IBC 2011 in Amsterdam, Intelsat SVP of Global Sales Kurt Riegelman and TIBA CEO Norberto Alvarez agree on a contract extension on Intelsat 27 at 304.5 degrees east. The multi-year, multi-transponder agreement will allow TIBA to provide standard- and high-definition video content to tier one broadcasters in the Americas and western Europe for the 15-year life of the satellite.

The Intelsat booth at IBC 2011 in Amsterdam.

RigNet Expands Oil and Gas Communications Solutions Via Intelsat

noreply@blogger.com (Katerina Komninos) — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 14:25:00 PDT

Intelsat,the world’s leading provider of satellite services, announced that it has received multiple contracts from RigNet, a leading provider of managed communications to the oil and gas industry, for new and renewed satellite capacity. [Press Release]

CommunicAsia 2011: Satellite Markets and Research Interviews Terry Bleakley on Intelsat's Plans for the Asia-Pacific Region

noreply@blogger.com (Katerina Komninos) — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 06:38:00 PDT

Satellite Markets and Research Editor-in-Chief Virgil Labrador spoke with Intelsat’s Terry Bleakley, Regional Vice-President, Asia-Pacific, on his company's plans for the region.

CommunicAsia 2011: Intelsat’s Terry Bleakley Discusses Trends and Opportunities in Asia-Pacific

noreply@blogger.com (Katerina Komninos) — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 02:07:00 PDT

Terry Bleakley, Intelsat’s Regional Vice President for Asia-Pacific, recently attended the CommunicAsia forum, the region’s largest knowledge-based ICT platform. Held in Singapore, the event was the perfect venue for Bleakley to discuss some of the trends he sees as current or future key opportunities.

Bleakley noted that during the past 15 years the region has spectacularly grown and developed. Not just economically, but also in terms of demography, infrastructure, and social structure. As such, two complimentary trends have been set in motion in the content provision industry; on one hand the globalization of content, where programmers look to expand their reach to multiple regions, and on the other the other hand the regionalization of content, where target markets’ natural fragmentation must be addressed through tailored content.

Technologically speaking, the High Definition video (HD) market (live feeds, syndication, and processing services) has reached maturation in North America and Europe while growth is still ongoing in Asia and Latin America. This phenomenon accompanies the explosion of DTH, the expansion of hybrid satellite/fiber solutions, and the growth of mobile media applications.

These trends are already pushing satellite heavyweights to reassess their overall strategies, not only on the type of solutions they offer, but also on the way they offer them. According to Bleakley, Intelsat has long been prolific in both media and network services, which makes it strategically well-placed to effectively transform these trends into full-fledged opportunities.

From Intelsat @ CommunicAsia 2011 (Singapore)

IntelsatONE, for instance, was designed to answer customers' unique needs: a fiber solution, fully integrated with access to satellite, enabling customers to efficiently move content from one region to another and then distribute to cable headends or other distribution points, maximizing the number of 'eyes' for their content.

Bleakley concluded by reiterating Intelsat’s commitment to delivering robust and versatile solutions in order to durably and efficiently integrate its presence in the region.

More photos of the event:

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CommunicAsia 2011: Intelsat’s Rick Abbasi Talks Mobile Satellite Solutions

noreply@blogger.com (Katerina Komninos) — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 03:31:00 PDT

Rick Abassi, Intelsat's Senior Product Marketing Director for Network Services, spoke on a panel at CommunicAsia 2011 on the topic of mobility.

From Intelsat @ CommunicAsia 2011 (Singapore)

During the panel discussion he emphasized the company's focus on global C-band and Ku-band mobility for maritime and aeronautical applications. He also articulated Intelsat's approach to the mobility market: offering services and capacity via select distribution partners that serve maritime customers.

Here are some photos of the event, the discussion, and Intelsat's booth at CommunicAsia 2011 (Singapore):

CASBAA 2011: Intelsat’s Jay Yass Reflects on the Future of the Satellite Industry

noreply@blogger.com (Katerina Komninos) — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 11:53:00 PDT

Jay Yass, Intelsat’s VP for Global Accounts and Strategic Sales, participated in a panel discussion on the future of the satellite industry at CASBAA 2011 on Monday, 20 June.

Yass acknowledged his peers’ optimistic projections of tumbling satellite costs and skyrocketing consumer bases, but also recognized that some of his customers’ reluctance in investing in exciting, yet uncharted, technologies was not completely unfounded.

According to Yass, while the future does indeed seem bright for an industry that can only thrive in one of the most successful regions in the world, significant challenges remain. Only a clear strategy can avoid these obstacles, and such a strategy will involve a diversification of assets.

From Intelsat @ CASBAA 2011 (Singapore)

“In order to stay relevant for the next ten years we will have to avoid commoditization. Innovation will be the key driver of change, and change – when it is wanted, instigated, and controlled – is good for business”.

Innovations in the realms of mobile Internet, maritime broadband, hybrid technologies, and multipoint satellites are some of the key future strategic strongholds Yass identified for the satellite industry.

He concluded by reasserting that the future of the industry relies on partnering with customers to support their adaptation to upcoming new technologies, and to add value to their services in an up-and-coming region.

Photos of the event:

CASBAA 2011: Intelsat’s Dave McGlade Presents Challenges and Opportunities for the Satellite Industry in Asia-Pacific

noreply@blogger.com (Katerina Komninos) — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 10:37:00 PDT

Dave McGlade, CEO of Intelsat, delivered the keynote address at the 2011 Cable & Satellite Broadcasting Association of Asia (CASBAA) event on Monday, 20 June.

Noting that the region’s development has only but started, he urged attendees to get ahold of the countless opportunities it offers: “Satellite-based solutions will be part of the unparalleled growth in DTH, broadband, and mobile phone subscribers. Intelsat expects to be there, and so should our customers”.

But succeeding in the competitive Asian media market – one in which programmers fight for viewership like never before – will require various adjustments from both programmers and providers.

First and foremost, adjustments to regional subtleties: “Asia-Pacific is not just one large market, but a subset of geographically dispersed nations. As a whole, the region does represent a significant potential audience. But the populations within the countries – sometimes even within provinces of a same country – do not consume the same things at the same pace”.

According to McGlade, a second important adjustment is the one that determines cost efficiency. Intelsat’s customers are being asked to deliver more content, to more locations, and on increasingly smaller budgets. They thus require a more efficient path to get programming in and out of the regions they serve, while finding a cost-effective way to enter new markets.

From Intelsat @ CASBAA 2011 (Singapore)

These two complex factors – regional diversity in tastes, means, and needs, combined with the search for versatile and cost efficient methods to deliver content – have led Intelsat to develop a hybrid satellite-terrestrial delivery solution to its media and network customers: “Satellite is not always the best, nor the most cost efficient transport method for every requirement. Our terrestrial network, IntelsatONE, was built to provide our customers with an infrastructure with the same reliability standards as our industry leading satellite network that regularly achieves exemplary availability”.

Such continued investment has allowed customers to access Intelsat’s assets in the Asia-Pacific region and around the world. It has also shown Intelsat’s commitment to facilitating technical, logistical, and operational procedures for media customers who want to focus on their programming while their content is being reliably delivered through the most efficient channels.

McGlade’s concluding remarks focused on the challenging yet promising times ahead for companies that aim to become regional providers with global capabilities: “Customers want regional knowledge with global know-how. We are a global company with a dedicated local team in each region. Not only does each satellite have a specific regional mission, its dependability is guaranteed by a dedicated sales and customer support team”.

Photos of the event:

A Picture-Perfect Lift-off!

noreply@blogger.com (Katerina Komninos) — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 07:40:00 PDT

A picture-perfect launch never gets old, even if Intelsat has done this many times over the years.

When you have over 2.5 millions of pounds of thrust at lift-off, the sight and sound is an awesome experience.

We were especially happy that Convergence Partners and Nedbank - the South African consortium that owns Intelsat New Dawn in a joint venture with Intelsat - got the opportunity to experience the launch live.

Contributor: Brian Sing, Satellite Mission Director, Intelsat New Dawn

Ignition Timeline Leading up to Launch of Intelsat New Dawn

noreply@blogger.com (Katerina Komninos) — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 12:19:00 PDT

For tonight's launch, the main engines start at T-0. This is the Vulcain 2 engine located in the center core. If this engine starts up correctly, at T+7 seconds, the two solid rockets, which are on either side of the main core, ignite.

Total thrust at liftoff is approximately 2.6 million lbs at liftoff. At 140 seconds, the two solids will have exhausted their fuel and are jettisoned. The fairing is jettisoned as soon as possible, at 191 seconds, to reduce the mass the rocket has to carry and to maximize performance.

At 533 seconds, the Vulcain 2 engine will be shut off and ten seconds later, at 543 seconds, the second stage will ignite. The second stage engine will take the satellites to the transfer orbit. At 1,519 seconds, the second stage engine will complete its burn and be in a geostationary transfer orbit with the two satellites.

At 2,103 seconds (35 minutes), the New Dawn satellite will be separated from the Ariane 5 rocket.

Contributor: Brian Sing, Satellite Mission Director, Intelsat New Dawn

Intelsat New Dawn Rolled Out to Launch Zone

noreply@blogger.com (Katerina Komninos) — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 11:40:00 PDT

Today, on Launch-1 day, the Ariane 5 rocket with the Intelsat New Dawn and Yahsat 1A satellites left the confines of the Final Assembly Building to travel to the Launch Zone. Once there, the technicians will finalize the launch table and configure it for tomorrow's launch.

The photo collage gives you some perspective of today's activities. The French Military was there to protect the rocket, Jean-Luc Froeliger observed the roll-out from a distance, while others celebrated with champagne to mark this special day.

It is truly peaceful and calming to view the rocket as it quietly moves about 2 to 3 kilometers per hour knowing that tomorrow's event will be a fiery lift-off, culminating with the satellites traveling over 32,000 miles per hour.

The Launch Readiness Review was successfully held yesterday and Arianespace authorized the launch vehicle for roll-out to the launch pad. The Ariane 5 launch vehicle, along with the Intelsat New Dawn and Yahsat satellite, have been sitting safely in the Final Assembly Building for the last three weeks as Arianespace and their subcontractors completed the investigation into the cause of the terminated countdown three weeks ago.

On Monday, engineers from Orbital Sciences Corporation powered up the satellite and configured it for pre-launch. The satellite batteries are now fully charged and all sub-systems have been fully checked out. Everything is looking great for the launch. The window opens tomorrow at 5:37 pm EDT, Washington DC time.

Contributor: Brian Sing, Satellite Mission Director, Intelsat New Dawn

Intelsat New Dawn Powers Up for Lift-Off at 5:45 pm EDT

noreply@blogger.com (Katerina Komninos) — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 14:06:00 PDT

The Intelsat New Dawn satellite is now in launch configuration. The only only exception that it is getting a power source from the ground through the launch vehicle umbilical harness.

At 13 minutes before the scheduled lift-off (6:32pm local Kourou time), the power will switch from ground to satellite battery. At that time the satellite will be totally autonomous and ready for launch. At seven minutes before launch (6:38pm), the launch vehicle will switch to "Synchronized Sequence". At that point, all actions are performed automatically by the launch vehicle with no ground intervention. If there is a hold ("red") during the synchronized sequence (the last seven minutes), the countdown will be stopped. Once the technical team understands the reason for the hold, it might authorize the synchronized sequence to restart. It will not pick up from where the hold occurred, but will go back to H0-7 minutes.

Contributor: Jean-Luc Froeliger, Senior Director, Space System Acquisition

Launch Window for Intelsat New Dawn Lift-Off Opens at 5:45 pm EDT

noreply@blogger.com (Katerina Komninos) — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 12:39:00 PDT

A launch can only occur during a certain window of time - the daily "launch window". The launch window varies from launch to launch and is defined by the satellite need for a given position of the sun with respect to orbit. That sun position is directly tied to the "Lift-Off Time" (also called H0 in space jargon).

For a dual launch (as is the case today), the launch window is the intersection of each of the two satellite launch windows. For example, if Intelsat New Dawn had to be launched between 2 pm and 4 pm and Yahsat 1A between 3 pm and 5 pm, the combined launch window would be between 3 pm and 4 pm. The launch window is unique for every launch and also depends on the launch date.

For today's launch on 30th March, the combined New Dawn/Yahsat 1A launch window opens at 6:45 pm and closes at 7:57 pm local time in French Guiana. This means that the earliest that the Lift-Off (H0) can occur is at 6:45 pm (launch window opening). The latest that the lift-off can occur is 7:57 pm (launch window closing).

Launch windows for commercial satellites are typically between one and two hours long. The longer the launch window, the greater the chance that lift-off can occur on a given day as it gives the team more time to correct a technical issue or to wait for better weather. If the launch cannot take place today, it is likely that another attempt be made tomorrow. In that case, the launch window would open at 6:39pm with the same closing time.

Contributor: Jean-Luc Froeliger, Senior Director, Space Systems Acquisition

Real-Time Launch Updates on Twitter

noreply@blogger.com (Katerina Komninos) — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 10:48:00 PDT

Brian Sing, Mission Director, Intelsat New Dawn is providing real-time updates on the historic launch on his Twitter site @briansing1 which will be retweeted on our company site @intelsat.

Read Brian's interview on the Arianespace site.

(Photo shows Brian Sing with Intelsat New Dawn at the Final Assembly Buiding at the Kourou, Guiana Space Center last Thursday)

Weather Criteria: Intelsat New Dawn a "GO" for Launch at 5:45 pm EDT Today

noreply@blogger.com (Katerina Komninos) — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 10:14:00 PDT

For the launch to be a "GO", all systems have to be green. That includes the status of both satellites, the launch vehicle, the launch base, the ground stations that are used to capture launch vehicle telemetry … and the weather. While we can fix any technical issue related to the above, there is not much we can do about the weather.

There are three weather-related launch criteria that have to be "green" before the launch can take place. The first is that ground winds that have to be below 10 m/sec in the direction normal to the beach. This is to protect against a launch failure where one of the spacecraft tanks ruptures over the ocean and the toxic fumes blow toward the city.

The second is related to altitude winds that have to be below a certain value to protect against destruction of the launch vehicle in flight where debris could fall on the local population. If the launch vehicle deviates from its nominal trajectory, an on-board system automatically "destroys" the launch vehicle and debris will fall in the ocean.

The third weather criterion is related to thunder. If there is a risk of thunder as the launch vehicle goes through the clouds, the launch will not take place. To monitor the weather, weather balloons are sent at regular intervals to measure the atmospheric environment.

The latest balloon, sent at 8 hours before the launch, confirmed that all weather conditions were green. This has allowed the launch vehicle activities to proceed as planned with the chilling of the main stage lines.

Contributor: Jean-Luc Froeliger, Senior Director, Space Systems Acquisition

Intelsat New Dawn Rolled out to Launch Pad at L-1

noreply@blogger.com (Katerina Komninos) — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 07:54:00 PDT

We are at L-1 day from launch. Under picture-perfect conditions, the Ariane 5 rocket, carrying the Yahsat Y1 and Intelsat New Dawn satellites, was rolled out from the Final Assembly Building to the Launch Zone.

As the mobile launch pad rolled past us at about 2 km/hour, we got a great view of the Ariane 5 launcher which will undertake Flight #201. It was a proud moment for the launch teams at this final phase of the adventure!

Contributor: Brian Sing, Satellite Mission Director, Intelsat New Dawn

A Visit to the Soyuz Launch Site in French Guiana

noreply@blogger.com (Katerina Komninos) — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 07:16:00 PDT

This week, Jean-Luc and I visited the Soyuz launch site, which is about 20 km from the Ariane 5 launch site. The Soyuz, which has existed for over 50 years, is the most reliable and only man-rated (built with the highest quality to fly humans as well as satellites) launch vehicle in the world, not counting the soon-to-be-retired shuttle. In fact, Galaxy 14 was launched on a Soyuz out of Baikonur - home of the Russian Space port - in 2005.

Soyuz in French Guiana, which will be marketed and managed by Arianespace, will be operational in 4Q 2011. What you see here today is the flame trench, where all the exhaust will flow out during the main engine ignition. Unlike most other launch vehicle systems, the Soyuz does not use a water deluge system (the dumping of tens of thousands of gallons of water at the base of the main engines prior to engine firing) to suppress the acoustic vibrations that typically occur on other launch vehicles at main engine start (i.e. Ariane 5).

When visiting the pad and infrastructure, we do a site survey to evaluate the readiness of the Soyuz. Once the pad becomes operational, the Soyuz will be part of the standard offerings by Arianespace and could be launching an Intelsat satellite in the future.

Contributor: Brian Sing, Satellite Mission Director, Intelsat New Dawn