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EchoStar II is a communications satellite operated by
EchoStar EchoStar Corporation is an American company, a worldwide provider of satellite communication and Internet services through its Hughes Network Systems and EchoStar Satellite Services business segments. EchoStar is based out of unincorporated Arapa ...
. Launched in 1996 it was operated in
geostationary orbit A geostationary orbit, also referred to as a geosynchronous equatorial orbit''Geostationary orbit'' and ''Geosynchronous (equatorial) orbit'' are used somewhat interchangeably in sources. (GEO), is a circular geosynchronous orbit in altitud ...
at a longitude of 148 degrees west for 12 or 15 years.


Satellite

The launch of EchoStar I made use of an Ariane 4 rocket flying from Guiana Space Centre in Kourou, French Guiana. The launch took place at 00:59 UTC on September 11, 1996, with the spacecraft entering a geosynchronous transfer orbit. The spacecraft carried 16
Ku band The Ku band () is the portion of the electromagnetic spectrum in the microwave range of frequencies from 12 to 18 gigahertz (GHz). The symbol is short for "K-under" (originally german: Kurz-unten), because it is the lower part of the ori ...
transponders to enable direct broadcast communications and television channels through dishes on the ground in the
Contiguous United States The contiguous United States (officially the conterminous United States) consists of the 48 adjoining U.S. states and the Federal District of the United States of America. The term excludes the only two non-contiguous states, Alaska and Hawaii ...
. From September 1996 to November 2001, it was at position 118.8° W, while from December 2001 until July 2008, it was at position 148° W. The satellite ended its activities on July 14, 2008.


Specifications

* Launch mass: * Power source: 2 deployable solar arrays,
batteries Battery most often refers to: * Electric battery, a device that provides electrical power * Battery (crime), a crime involving unlawful physical contact Battery may also refer to: Energy source *Automotive battery, a device to provide power t ...
* Stabilization: 3-axis * Propulsion: 2 × LEROS-1B


See also

*
1996 in spaceflight This article outlines notable events occurring in 1996 in spaceflight Spaceflight (or space flight) is an application of astronautics to fly spacecraft into or through outer space, either with or without humans on board. Most spaceflight ...


References

Spacecraft launched in 1996 Communications satellites in geostationary orbit E02 {{US-spacecraft-stub