EchoStar VI or EchoStar 6 is a former American

communications satellite A communications satellite is an artificial satellite that relays and amplifies radio telecommunication signals via a transponder; it creates a communication channel between a source transmitter and a receiver at different locations on Earth ...

which was operated by EchoStar. In 2013, the satellite was rebranded BermudaSat 1 after the satellite was sold to a

Bermuda ) , anthem = "God Save the King" , song_type = National song , song = "Hail to Bermuda" , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , mapsize2 = , map_caption2 = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = , es ...

n subsidiary of

SES S.A. SES S.A. is a Luxembourgish-French satellite telecommunications network provider supplying video and data connectivity worldwide to broadcasters, content and internet service providers, mobile and fixed network operators, governments and insti ...

, a satellite technology company based in

Luxembourg Luxembourg ( ; lb, Lëtzebuerg ; french: link=no, Luxembourg; german: link=no, Luxemburg), officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, ; french: link=no, Grand-Duché de Luxembourg ; german: link=no, Großherzogtum Luxemburg is a small lan ...

.Bermuda Secures Caribbean Slot with EchoStar 6 Satellite
/ref> It was constructed by Space Systems Loral and is based on the LS-1300

satellite bus A satellite bus (or spacecraft bus) is the main body and structural component of a satellite or spacecraft, in which the payload and all scientific instruments are held. Bus-derived satellites are opposed to specially produced satellites. Bus- ...

. Its launch was contracted by

International Launch Services International Launch Services, Inc. (ILS) is a joint venture with exclusive rights to the worldwide sale of commercial Angara and Proton rocket launch services. Proton launches take place at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan while Angara is l ...

, using an Atlas IIAS carrier rocket. The launch occurred at 05:21 GMT on 14 July 2000 from Space Launch Complex 36B at the

Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS) is an installation of the United States Space Force's Space Launch Delta 45, located on Cape Canaveral in Brevard County, Florida. Headquartered at the nearby Patrick Space Force Base, the statio ...

. It was originally built as Sky 1B or MCI-2 for

MCI Communications MCI Communications Corp. (originally Microwave Communications, Inc.) was a telecommunications company headquartered in Washington, D.C. that was at one point the second-largest long-distance provider in the United States. MCI was instrumen ...

. This was later cancelled and the satellite was rebuilt as Echostar VI. Following its launch and on-orbit testing, it was placed in geostationary orbit at 73° West, from where it provides broadcast and communications services to Europe using wide-band feeds. It carries thirty two transponders, and has an expected on-orbit lifespan of 12 years. In March and August 2010, the satellite experienced solar-array anomalies resulting in the loss of 24 (of an initial 108) solar cell strings. Although the anomalies did not reduce the estimated useful life, the power reduction limits it to operating 24 DBS transponders (of the initial 32) at approximately 125 watts per channel, or 12 DBS transponders (of an original 16) at approximately 250 watts per channel. In April 2013, the satellite was moved to 96.2° West, leased to SES on behalf of the Bermudan government and renamed BermudaSat 1.Minister On Bermuda’s Satellite Network
/ref> As BermudaSat 1, the satellite, which was slated for retirement in 2014, was designed chiefly to serve video and maritime communications in Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as to enable to secure the 96.2° West position for Bermuda.

References

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Echostar 06 Communications satellites in geostationary orbit Spacecraft launched in 2000 Telecommunications in Bermuda Satellites using the SSL 1300 bus E06 SES S.A.