Local and National HDTV Broadcasting
| Customer | DIRECTV, Inc. | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Spacecraft | Boeing 702 | ||
| Quantity | Two | ||
| Launch Date Vehicle Site |
SPACEWAY 1 April 26, 2005 Sea Launch Pacific Ocean |
SPACEWAY 2 November 16, 2005 Ariane 5 Kourou, French Guiana |
|
| Orbital slot | 102.8 degrees W longitude and 99 degrees West longitude |
||
| Contract life | 12.6 years | ||
Built on the powerful Boeing 702 model satellite, SPACEWAY™ 1 and 2 were manufactured for DIRECTV, Inc. and are among the most complex commercial satellite systems ever developed.
SPACEWAY 1, and its sister satellite, SPACEWAY 2, are among DIRECTV's next generation of direct-to-home broadcast satellites. The spacecrafts' adaptable spot beam technology and reconfigurable routing is allowing DIRECTV, Inc. to bring local high definition television (HDTV) service to most U.S. television households.
SPACEWAY 1 and 2 are the first of four Boeing-built Ka-band satellites DIRECTV has launched as part of its expansion of programming capacity. The expansions will enable DIRECTV to deliver more than 1,500 local and national HD channels and other advanced programming services to consumers nationwide.
SPACEWAY 1 was launched on April 26, 2005 aboard a Sea Launch Zenit 3L rocket. Launched by Arianespace on November 16, 2005, from the Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana, SPACEWAY 2 was the seventh Boeing-built satellite for DIRECTV. Together, the Boeing 702 model SPACEWAY 1 and 2 satellites exemplify Boeing's heritage of satellite design and commitment to delivering space-based solutions that enable its customers to expand their businesses.
| Ka-band | Regenerative processing payload with hopping downlink spot beams, capacity of 10 GBps per spacecraft |
|---|
| Solar End of life Panels |
Source Power 12.3 kW (summer solstice) 2 wings each w/5 panels of triple-junction gallium arsenide solar cells |
|---|---|
| Batteries | 45 cell NiH2 |
| Liquid apogee engine | 100lbf (445N) |
|---|---|
| Stationkeeping Thrusters - XIPS | 4x25
cm 0.018 lb (79mN) (low power) 0.038 lb (165mN) (high power) |
| Bi-Prop Axia Bi Prop E-W |
4 5lb (22N) 4 2lb (10N) |
| Receive | Multihorn shaped beam with dual offset fed Cassegrain reflectors |
|---|---|
| Transmit | 1500 element phased array, 2m diameter, forming multiple hopping spot beams |
| In orbit | L, solar arrays: 134.2 ft (40.9m) W, antennas: 24.0 ft (7.3m) |
|---|---|
| Stowed | H: 16.6 ft (5.1 m) W: 11.2 ft x 10.6 ft (3.4 m x 3.2 m) |
| Mass tab;Launch at Separation |
5993 kg (13201 lbs) |
| In-orbit (beginning of life) End of life |
3832 kg (8441 lbs) 3691 kg (8130 lbs) |