Structural Testing Of World's Largest Commercial Comsat Completed

After a series of structural tests, spacecraft technicians inspect the 15- foot high panels of the iPSTAR-1 satellite. When completed, the satellite�s 40-foot long solar arrays will be anchored to each of the satellite�s two communication panels. Built by Space Systems/Loral of Palo Alto, Calif., the massive iPSTAR-1 satellite will be the largest commercial communications satellite ever built when it enters service in 2004.

Palo Alto - Apr 17, 2003
Space Systems/Loral (SS/L), has completed static loads testing of iPSTAR-1, the world's largest commercial communications satellite with a launch weight of 14,900 pounds (6775 kilograms). iPSTAR-1 is being built by SS/L at its Palo Alto, California facility for Shin Satellite, Plc of Thailand.

Static loads testing validates the spacecraft structure and its ability to carry the loads it will experience during the satellite's manufacturing, launch and operation in geosynchronous orbit.

Shin Satellite will use the spacecraft to provide broadband Internet services throughout a large portion of Asia, Australia and New Zealand. With eighty-four spot beams and a total throughput capability of approximately 40 gigabytes per second, iPSTAR-1 will support individual user data rates of up to eight megabytes per second forward link and four megabytes per second return link to as many as eight million users.

Service prices will be comparable to ground-based broadband technologies, ushering in a new era in satellite delivered broadband services. Launch is planned for early 2004 into an orbital slot at 120 degrees East longitude.

Shin Satellite provides C-band and Ku-band transponder leasing, teleport and other value-added and engineering services to users in Asia, Africa, Europe and Australasia. Shin Satellite owns and operates Thaicom 1A, 2, and 3.

Thaicom 1A is located at 120 degrees East, and Thaicom 2 and 3 are both located at 78.5 degrees East with a total capacity of 49 C-band and 20 Ku-band transponders offering over 70 channels.

Thaicom is a hotbird for Indochina and India, an emerging platform of choice for transcontinental Sat TV broadcasts from Europe to Australia. The company has also spent several years researching and developing new technology to make Internet via satellite more efficient to reduce costs and improve services to end-users.

TECH SPACE

Orbital Switchboard Celebrates 20 Years Of Service

Greenbelt - Apr 08, 2003
NASA's original Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-1), launched from the Space Shuttle Challenger (STS-6) in April 1983, went from almost being "lost in space," to a remarkable example of the agency's 'can do, never quit' attitude. On April 4, TDRS-1 celebrates 20 years of outstanding service and 'firsts.'