SES’s QuetzSat-1 satellite now operational
November 15, 2011
SES has confirmed that the QuetzSat-1 satellite is fully operational and ready for service. QuetzSat-1 was successfully launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on board an ILS Proton Breeze M booster on September 30th, 2011.
QuetzSat-1 is fully contracted to a subsidiary of EchoStar Corporation. The spacecraft is an all Ku-band high-powered (20-kilowatt) communications broadcasting satellite with coverage of Mexico, USA, and Central America. QuetzSat-1 is based on Space Systems/Loral’s highly reliable 1300 satellite platform and carries 32 Ku-band transponders. It provides the flexibility to support a broad range of applications and technology advances and provides high power for advanced DTH television. The satellite is designed to deliver service for 15 years or longer.