Quetzat 1 at 77W

[nelson61]

Excepted from a FCC license renewal issued yesterday: After its successful launch on September 29, 2011, QuetzSat-1 completed operational
testing at 67.1º W.L., and was subsequently relocated to 61.5º W.L. pending the launch of
EchoStar 16. EchoStar understands that QuetzSat-1 operates under a U.K. Outer Space Act
license and will be registered as a UK space object.2 With the successful launch of EchoStar 16,3
EchoStar now anticipates moving QuetzSat-1 from 61.5º W.L. on or about December 2, 2012, to
77.05º W.L., pending the successful testing of EchoStar 16.

 

[jerryez]

They will be through testing E16 by Dec 2, 2012??????????????????

 

[Teehar]

I believe they have been using it at 61.5 haven't they?When all the eastern arc issues started?If not sitting in space for a year serving no one seems like a total waste.

 

[nelson61]

They said their plan was to replace EchoStar 15 with Quetzsat 1 at 61.5W (temporary). So now, both Quetzsat 1 and EchoStar 15 are at 61.5W. EchoStar 16 was still 8 km or so below geostationary at the 67W test slot yesterday noon and is probably in place for testing about now. Could be they meant to say testing would start Dec 2, or could be they have decided to immediately move Quetzsat 1 to 77W after initial test of EchoStar 16 (leaving EchoStar 15 at 61.5W for now) due to a change in plans (unexpected event?). They reported new problems with EchoStar 12 in their last SEC quarterly report. If those problems start to affect the spot beams, they would have to speed things ups and get EchoStar 16 operating at 61.5W asap.

 

[nelson61]

From a FCC filing regarding some modifications for EchoStar 8 at 77w. "QuetzSat-1 currently is at the nominal 61.5° W.L. orbital
location, and is expected to move to 77.05° W.L. in December 2012."

 

[MikeD-C05]

Wasn't this the same satellite that was supposed to go to 77 slot like two years ago? I seem to remember it was supposed to launch and go into service in August of 2010, I think?

 

[Laddyboy]

Wasn't this the same satellite that was supposed to go to 77 slot like two years ago? I seem to remember it was supposed to launch and go into service in August of 2010, I think?

As I recall, when the launch of E16 was delayed, Dish petitioned to move Q1 to 61.5 so that E15 could be moved to 45W for service. Q1 was originally to go to 77W, the Mexican slot.

 

[MikeD-C05]

Same one then.

 

[nelson61]

FCC license issued today to move Echostar 6 to 76.8W to free up slot for Quetzsat 1. "EchoStar plans to direct the move of the QuetzSat-1 satellite to 77.05º W.L. beginning in
December 2012. In anticipation of this move, EchoStar seeks to move EchoStar 6 from 76.95º
W.L. to 76.80º W.L. and to move EchoStar 8 from 77.05º W.L. to 76.90º W.L."

 

[nelson61]

Quetzsat 1 is at 63.3W (9PM Mountain, Dec 14), about 38 km above GEO, and moving west at approximately 0.5 degrees per day. Estimated arrival at 77W is somewhere around January 11. So, expect in service there around mid January.

 

[nelson61]

Ghosts of Christmas Past. Quetzsat 1 just passed by EchoStar 2, both traveling west with Quetzsat 1 at 38 km above GEO and EchoStar 2 at 8 km above GEO. EchoStar 2 has been wandering around up there ever since its catastrophic failure at 148W 4-5 years ago.

 

[Teehar]

Ghosts of Christmas Past. Quetzsat 1 just passed by EchoStar 2, both traveling west with Quetzsat 1 at 38 km above GEO and EchoStar 2 at 8 km above GEO. EchoStar 2 has been wandering around up there ever since its catastrophic failure at 148W 4-5 years ago.

Now if they would have implemented Star Wars,they could have zapped the piece of junk out of the sky.

 

[Voyager6]

Now if they would have implemented Star Wars,they could have zapped the piece of junk out of the sky.

Only if they could totally vaporize it. Don't want space junk in geo orbit.

 

[Teehar]

Only if they could totally vaporize it. Don't want space junk in geo orbit.

Well obviously a Death Star would be able to vaporize it.

On a serious note though,eventually they are gonna have to clean some of the junk out of orbit.

 

[mike123abc]

Well obviously a Death Star would be able to vaporize it.

On a serious note though,eventually they are gonna have to clean some of the junk out of orbit.

There is automatic garbage collection at 75.3E and 104.7W...

 

[david_jr]

Location, location, location!

 

[nelson61]

Location, location, location!

crossed 65W this morning.

 

[nelson61]

crossed 66W this morning.

 

[nelson61]

Passed 38 km over EchoStar 16 at 67W today ( where Quetzsat 1 was in storage two months ago). They had said it was going to replace EchoStar 15 until E16 went live but, obviously, plans changed. It used up a bunch of fuel for unknown reasons during its trip to 61.5W and back. Continuing West at 0.5 degrees/day.

 

[nelson61]

Crossed 68W this morning.