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On February 11, 2008 at 6:34 a.m. EST, the THOR 5 GEO communications satellite was launched aboard an ILS Proton rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. THOR 5 was developed and built for Telenor Satellite Broadcasting, part of Telenor Broadcast, one of the three core businesses of Norway's leading communications operator, Telenor ASA. Telenor Satellite Broadcasting provides extensive television broadcasting services for distribution, contribution and occasional applications to the Nordic region and throughout Europe.
THOR 5 will replace the THOR II satellite at the 0.8°W Longitude orbital position, and provide Ku-band coverage for Fixed Satellite Service (FSS) and Broadcast Satellite Service (BSS) for Scandinavia, Europe, and the Middle East. The spacecraft will have 15 active FSS transponders and four active BSS transponders for fixed coverage regions. In addition, five more active transponders are available for either fixed coverage BSS or for routing through a moveable antenna that can be pointed toward any other region on Earth visible from the 0.8°W Longitude.
THOR 5 is the first of four Orbital-built STAR GEO communications satellites planned for launch in 2008. The other three, AMC-21 for SES Americom, NSS-9 for SES NewSkies, and MEASAT-1R for MEASAT Satellite Systems, are planned for launch later in the year. In addition, Orbital is currently building the Intelsat 15 and 16 satellites for Intelsat, the Optus D3 satellite for Optus of Australia, and the AMC-5R satellite for SES Americom. |
