JCSAT-RA, previously known as JCSAT-12, is a Japanese geostationary

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 Ear ...

, which is operated by

SKY Perfect JSAT Group The SKY Perfect JSAT Group is a Japanese corporate group that claims to be Asia's largest satellite communication and multi-channel pay TV company. It owns the SKY PerfecTV! satellite broadcasting service and the SKY Perfect Well Think content ...

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It was ordered to replace the

JCSAT-11 JCSAT-11, was a geostationary orbit, geostationary communications satellite ordered by JSAT Corporation (now SKY Perfect JSAT Group) which was designed and manufactured by Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Lockheed Martin on the Lockheed Martin A2100 ...

satellite which was lost in a launch failure on a

Proton-M The Proton-M, (Протон-М) GRAU index 8K82M or , is an expendable Russian heavy-lift launch vehicle derived from the Soviet-developed Proton. It is built by Khrunichev, and launched from sites 81 and 200 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome i ...

Briz-M The Briz-K, Briz-KM and Briz-M (russian: Бриз-К, КM and M meaning ''Breeze-K, KM and M'') are Russian liquid-propellant rocket orbit insertion upper stages manufactured by Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center and used on ...

rocket in 2007, and is currently used as an on-orbit spare satellite; a role in which it replaced the older

JCSAT-R JCSAT-4 was known as JCSAT-R until it was sold to Intelsat, INTELSAT in 2009 (Intelsat 26). It is a geostationary orbit, geostationary communications satellite designed and manufactured by Hughes Space and Communications Company, Hughes (now Boe ...

spacecraft, providing a reserve for if one of the company's other satellites fails. It is a satellite, which was constructed by Lockheed Martin based on the A2100AX

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- ...

, with the same configuration as

JCSAT-10 JCSAT-3A, known as JCSAT-10 before launch, is a geostationary communications satellite operated by SKY Perfect JSAT Group (JSAT) which was designed and manufactured by Lockheed Martin on the A2100 platform. Satellite description The spacecraft ...

and JCSAT-11. The contract to build JCSAT-12 was awarded on 6 September 2007, the day after JCSAT-11 failed to reach orbit. It was launched, along with the Australian

Optus D3 Optus D3 is an Australian geostationary communications satellite, which is operated by Optus and provides communications services to Australasia. D3 was the third Optus-D satellite to be launched. It is a satellite, which was constructed by Orbi ...

satellite, by

Arianespace Arianespace SA is a French company founded in 1980 as the world's first commercial launch service provider. It undertakes the operation and marketing of the Ariane programme. The company offers a number of different launch vehicles: the heavy- ...

. An Ariane 5ECA rocket was used for the launch, which occurred from

ELA-3 ELA-3 (french: Ensemble de Lancement Ariane 3, lit=Ariane Launch Complex 3), is a launch pad and associated facilities at the Centre Spatial Guyanais in French Guiana. ELA-3 is operated by Arianespace as part of the expendable launch system for ...

at the

Guiana Space Centre The Guiana Space Centre (french: links=no, Centre spatial guyanais; CSG), also called Europe's Spaceport, is a European spaceport to the northwest of Kourou in French Guiana, a region of France in South America. Kourou is located approximat ...

Kourou Kourou () is a commune in French Guiana, an overseas region and department of France in South America. Kourou is famous for being the location of the Guiana Space Centre, the main spaceport of France and the European Space Agency (ESA). It ...

French Guiana French Guiana ( or ; french: link=no, Guyane ; gcr, label=French Guianese Creole, Lagwiyann ) is an overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France on the northern Atlantic ...

. The launch took place at 22:09 GMT on 21 August 2009, at the start of a 60-minute

launch window In the context of spaceflight, launch period is the collection of days and launch window is the time period on a given day during which a particular rocket must be launched in order to reach its intended target. If the rocket is not launched wit ...

. JCSAT-12 separated from its carrier rocket into a

geosynchronous transfer orbit A geosynchronous transfer orbit or geostationary transfer orbit (GTO) is a type of geocentric orbit. Satellites that are destined for geosynchronous (GSO) or geostationary orbit (GEO) are (almost) always put into a GTO as an intermediate step ...

, from which raise itself to geostationary orbit using a LEROS-1C

apogee motor An apogee kick motor (AKM) is a rocket motor that is regularly employed on artificial satellites to provide the final impulse to change the trajectory from the transfer orbit into its final (most commonly circular) orbit. For a satellite la ...

. It has a design life of fifteen years, and carries forty two

transponder In telecommunications, a transponder is a device that, upon receiving a signal, emits a different signal in response. The term is a blend of ''transmitter'' and ''responder''. In air navigation or radio frequency identification, a flight trans ...

s; twelve G/H band, and thirty J band (US IEEE C and Ku bands respectively).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jcsat-12 Spacecraft launched in 2009 Satellites using the A2100 bus Communications satellites of Japan Satellites of Japan

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See also

References