AMC-21

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

AMC-21
NamesGE-21
Americom-21
Mission type
SES S.A. (2011-present)
COSPAR ID2008-038B Edit this at Wikidata
SATCAT no.33275
Mission duration15 years (planned)
15 years, 8 months, 12 days (elapsed)
Spacecraft properties
SpacecraftGE-21
BusSTAR-2[1]
ManufacturerThales Alenia Space (prime)
Orbital Sciences (bus)
Launch mass2,473 kg (5,452 lb)
Dry mass1,161 kg (2,560 lb)
Power4.4 kW
Start of mission
Launch date14 August 2008, 20:44 UTC
RocketAriane 5 ECA
Launch siteCentre Spatial Guyanais, ELA-3
ContractorArianespace
Entered serviceSeptember 2008
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric orbit
RegimeGeostationary orbit
Longitude125° West [2]
Transponders
Band24 Ku-band
Bandwidth36 MHz
Coverage areaCanada, United States, Mexico, Caribbean, Central America
← AMC-18
AMC-23 →
 

AMC-21, or GE-21, is an American

SES S.A., formerly SES World Skies and SES Americom
. It was launched in August 2008 and is expected to remain in service for approximately 15 years. It is currently located at 125° West longitude.

Spacecraft and mission design

AMC-21 is based on a STAR-2 satellite bus that provides 4.4 kilowatts of power for the communications payload. The platform will support a 15-year on-orbit mission life.[3] It carries 24 Ku-band transponders at 36 MHz, which will be used to broadcast television signals to Canada, United States, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central America.[2]

Manufacture

Thales Alenia Space was the prime contractor for AMC-21, and provided the satellite's communications payload. The STAR-2 bus was subcontracted to Orbital Sciences Corporation, as were integration and testing of the satellite.[3] As prime contractor, Thales Alenia Space delivered the completed satellite to SES Americom.[4]

Launch

AMC-21 was launched, along with the

geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO). An onboard IHI-500 N (IHI-BT4) engine then raised it to an operational geostationary orbit and placed it at a longitude of 125° West of the Greenwich Meridian.[1] After successful completion of in-orbit testing, SES Americom took operational control of AMC-21 in September 2008.[6]

Mergers and acquisitions

In September 2009, SES Americom merged with SES New Skies to form SES World Skies, to which all of its operational satellites, including AMC-21, were transferred.

External links

References

  1. ^ a b "AMC-21". Gunter's Space Page. 11 December 2017. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
  2. ^ a b "AMC-21". SES. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
  3. ^ a b "AMC-21". Orbital Sciences Corporation.
  4. ^ "Orbital-Built AMC-21 Communications Satellite Successfully Launched". Northrop Grumman. 18 August 2008. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
  5. ^ "Another successful Arianespace launch: Superbird-7 and AMC-21 in orbit" (Press release). Arianespace. 14 August 2008. Archived from the original on 18 September 2010.
  6. ^ "Orbital Reports Third Quarter 2008 Financial Results" (Press release). Orbital. 16 October 2008.
This page is based on the copyrighted Wikipedia article: AMC-21. Articles is available under the CC BY-SA 3.0 license; additional terms may apply.Privacy Policy