Intelsat 19 gets away safely
June 1, 2012
Intelsat’s latest $250 million-worth of satellite was successfully launched aboard a Sea Launch rocket at 1.23 am (EDT) on June 1st. The launch took place from the Sea launch floating launch site in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
Intelsat-19 was built by Space Systems/Loral and will provide extra C and Ku-band capacity over the western USA and Asia-Pac region. Once in-orbit testing is wrapped up it will be located at 166 degrees East, replacing Intelsat-8 and an anticipated life of more than 18 years.
“Intelsat 19 will host a prime video neighborhood, with C-band capacity providing enhanced performance for distribution of international video content throughout the Asia-Pacific region and increased Ku-band capacity optimized for DTH,” said Intelsat CEO Dave McGlade. “Additionally, this satellite is a critical element of what will be the world’s first single operator global broadband mobility network when it is completed in early 2013.”
There’s more work ahead for Intelsat’s launch team, with Intelsats 20, 21 and 21 all scheduled for launch in Q3.