Under a contract with Thales Alenia Space, Orbital supplied a STAR-2™ spacecraft bus and performed final spacecraft and system integration and testing of the AMC-21 commercial GEO communications satellite for SES AMERICOM. Orbital conducted the engineering, manufacturing, integration and test activities at its satellite manufacturing facility located in Dulles, VA. As prime contractor, Thales Alenia Space provided the communications payload and delivered the satellite to SES AMERICOM.
The AMC-21 satellite carries 24 high-powered Ku-band channels and will operate from the 125 degree West Longitude orbital location over the United States. The STAR-2™ platform will deliver 4.4 kilowatts of payload power and support a 15-year on-orbit mission life.
Performance:
Repeater: 32-for-24 traveling wave tube assemblies, each 110 Watts
Transponder Power: 4.4 kilowatts
Stabilization: three-axis stabilized, zero momentum
Launch Mass: Approximately 2,500 kg (5,512 lbs)
Mission Life: 15 years (fueled for 16 years)
Status:
Successfully launched August 14, 2008.
Coverage: CONUS, Alaska, Hawaii, and the Caribbean
Customer: Thales Alenia Space – Paris, France
Mission: Ku-band satellite service for Continental United States, Alaska, Hawaii, and the Caribbean.
