The DirecTV satellite fleet is a group of communications satellites located at various geostationary orbits for the DirecTV satellite television service and HughesNet (formerly known as DirecWAY and DirecPC) internet service.
Contents
Satellites and their orbits
Defunct satellites are highlighted in gold.
*Default sort column
A DirecTV-2 having reached the end of its useful life span, on April 16, 2007, the FCC granted DirecTV's request to conduct operations to move the satellite out to a disposal orbit and it was subsequently removed from service in May 2007. B DirecTV-3 was removed from service in Oct 2002 and sent to a storage orbit as an on-orbit backup. It returned to service in 2003 having been leased to Telesat, which used the satellite as backup for its troubled Nimiq-2 at 82 degrees West under the designation Nimiq-2i. In 2004 the satellite was moved to back up Nimiq-1 and is now operated under the name Nimiq-3. C DirecTV-6 went out of service August 15, 2006 and sent to a graveyard orbit having suffered damage from a solar flare in April 1997 as well as other solar array and power fluctuation problems. D DirecTV-1R having reached the end of its useful lifespan, was removed from service in 2014. From 2012 to 2014, it was leased to the Russian Satellite Communications Company and was located at 55.8 degrees East as a stopgap supplement to the RSCC's aging Bonum 1 satellite due to delays of the RSCC's Express-AT1 satellite. Express-AT1 entered service on March 15, 2014, and both Bonum 1 and DirecTV-1R have since been deorbited. E Galaxy 3C is operated by Intelsat. DirecTV leases non-DBS FSS transponders for international programming under the auspices of the DirecTV World Direct package. F DirecTV-9S is an in-orbit spare for DirecTV-4S, and does not presently broadcast any channels.DirecTV-1R
DirecTV-1R was launched in 1999. It was the first satellite used to broadcast local channels for DirecTV in major DMAs, and was positioned at 101.2° W when it first entered service. In 2004, when DirecTV completed moving all local channels in major DMAs to DirecTV-4S, DirecTV-1R was repositioned to 72.5° W to provide local channels for smaller DMAs not served by satellites in the 101° W, 110° W, or 119° W positions. From 2004 to 2011 in these smaller DMAs, a separate dish was required to obtain local channels. In early 2012, DirecTV-1R was briefly repositioned to 109.8° W as a spare for DirecTV-5, however, in mid-2012, it was announced that DirecTV-1R would be leased to the Russian Satellite Communications Company, and was repositioned to its current location at 55.8° E in late 2012 as a stopgap supplement to the RSCC's aging Bonum 1 satellite due to delays of the RSCC's Express-AT1 satellite. Express-AT1 was launched on March 15, 2014 and both DirecTV-1R and Bonum 1 have since been deorbited.
DirecTV-4S
DirecTV-4S is the fifth Boeing Satellite Systems built satellite, the Boeing 601HP satellite, it was successfully launched November 27, 2001 aboard an Ariane 44LP rocket from the Guiana Space Center on the northeastern coast of South America. It is stationed at 101° West longitude. The DirecTV-4s is an 9,400-pound, 86-foot-long, and 24.5-foot-wide high powered satellite, with the commercial debut of two important spacecraft technologies. This is the first satellite both for DirecTV and Boeing that employs spot beams. This technology reuses the same frequencies on multiple spot beams to reach the major television markets where DirecTV delivers the signals of local network affiliates. Further details, the satellite carries two Ku-band payloads: spot beams for local channels, and a national beam payload. The spot beam payload will use a total of 38 traveling wave-tube amplifiers (TWTAs) ranging in power from 30 to 88 watts. The national beam payload carries two active transponders with further capability for two active high-power transponders and six active low-power transponders. It has a 15-year projected life span, so roughly till November 2016, unless it is extended.
Galaxy 3C
Galaxy 3C is a geostationary communications satellite located at 95° W. It was launched on June 15, 2002, with a Sea Launch vehicle, and is currently active on the C and Ku bands, with 24 transponders for each. Owned by Intelsat, some of the satellite's users include DirecTV's Brazil and Latin America systems, the Racetrack TV Network DBS service, and HughesNet.
Rite-Aid, TJ Maxx, and Chevron use Galaxy 3C as a VSAT platform.
Spaceway 1 and Spaceway 2
The SPACEWAY satellites were originally designed for use by Hughes Electronics to provide both TV and broadband internet service. The satellites were re-purposed for DirecTV after News Corporation purchased a controlling interest in Hughes.
DirecTV-10, DirecTV-11, and DirecTV-12
DirecTV satellites 10, 11, and 12 are Boeing model 702 satellites designed to deliver high definition television to the continental United States, Hawaii, and Alaska.
DirecTV successfully launched DirecTV-12, on December 28, 2009. It became fully operational on May 19, 2010.