Intelsat 907 (or IS-907
) was a
communications satellite
A communications satellite is an artificial satellite that relays and amplifies radio telecommunication signals via a Transponder (satellite communications), transponder; it creates a communication channel between a source transmitter and a Rad ...
operated by
Intelsat
Intelsat S.A. (formerly Intel-Sat, Intelsat) is a Luxembourgish-American multinational satellite services provider with corporate headquarters in Luxembourg and administrative headquarters in Tysons, Virginia, United States. Originally formed ...
.
Launch
Intelsat 907 was launched by an
Ariane 4 rocket from
Guiana Space Centre
The Guiana Space Centre (; CSG), also called Europe's Spaceport, is a spaceport to the northwest of Kourou in French Guiana, an Overseas departments and regions of France, overseas region of France in South America. Kourou is located approxim ...
, French Guiana, at 06:44 UTC on February 15, 2003.
[ ]
Capacity and coverage
The 4.7 tonne spacecraft provided data-relay among installations in North America, South America, Western Europe and Africa through its array of
C band and
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 ), because it is the lower part of the original NATO K ban ...
transponders after parking over 27.5 degrees west longitude. It replaced the aging
Intelsat 605.
Replacement
On 2 April 2020, the Intelsat 907 was replaced by the
Intelsat 901 satellite. Before this, Intelsat 901 had been taken out of operation (having operated for about 18 years in another orbital slot) and moved into graveyard orbit where it docked with
Mission Extension Vehicle-1 (MEV-1), a satellite service craft. MEV-1 then took responsibility of propulsion and attitude control of the satellite pair. The satellites then descended back to geostationary arc, where Intelsat 901 then replaced Intelsat 907's communications responsibilities. Intelsat 901 took over from Intelsat 907 on 2 April 2020. It is expected that the Intelsat 901 will operate for five more years, after which MEV-1 will again raise it to graveyard orbit for decommissioning.
See also
*
2003 in spaceflight
External links
* .
Intelsat
Intelsat S.A. (formerly Intel-Sat, Intelsat) is a Luxembourgish-American multinational satellite services provider with corporate headquarters in Luxembourg and administrative headquarters in Tysons, Virginia, United States. Originally formed ...
References
Intelsat satellites
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