Directv 15 - FCC Application to Launch

[nelson61]

Directv has filed for launch authority for their new Directv 15 satellite. Launch is planned for early 2015.

We will be adding the Directv 15 SatMap kml to the SatMap tables in the next couple of days.

"The national channels will be delivered to the forty-eight contiguous states ("CONUS") plus Alaska through a single beam and to Hawaii and Puerto Rico through dedicated spot beams. All of these beams will carry identical national HD programming material. "

Directv 15 Narrative

 

[raoul5788]

They likely won't launch Directv 14 before the beginning of 2015.

 

[mike123abc]

Versatile satellite being able to cover a Ka or a Ku slot.

 

[goaliebob99]

They likely won't launch Directv 14 before the beginning of 2015.

Not true, D14 will go before D15. It's looking like September/October. Time frame for D14 launch most likely.

 

[raoul5788]

According to some of Harsh's posts elsewhere, D14 may not launch until next year. Do you have any better information on its schedule?

 

[joed32]

According to some of Harshs posts elsewhere, D14 may not launch until next year. Do you have any better information on its schedule?

That's the problem, there is no scheduled launch date yet and there are several launches that will go before 14. Harsh may well be right. Very late this year at best and new channels a couple of months into next year.

 

[nelson61]

A quick photo snapshot of DIRECTV 15 beam maps before we upload to the SatMaps links.

DIRECTV 15 has 3 payloads ; KA,KU, and BSS (reverse KU ).

The BSS beams were approved in earlier filings .

The KU beams are included for informational purposes but are not licensed for use at the 103W slot but can be used at 110W,119W, or 101W if DIRECTV 15 is moved to one of those locations.

The KA beams will used to compliment the KA capacity at the other KA slots.

DIRECTV 15 will support up to 100 HD channels of national coverage.

 

[mike123abc]

DIRECTV 15 will support up to 100 HD channels of national coverage.

They really emphasized that it will be providing HD programming in the filing over and over.

 

[nelson61]

Some more factoids. 50 percent of customers are HD, 70 percent of new installs are HD.
I was surprised to see that in 2014, 30 percent of new installs are still SD.

 

[goaliebob99]

That's the problem, there is no scheduled launch date yet and there are several launches that will go before 14. Harsh may well be right. Very late this year at best and new channels a couple of months into next year.

Dont worry about that.. The problem is with the other payload on the bird. D14 is on the ground ready to go now. It's very possible that D14 can go up with another heavy payload sat. The reason for the no date is because the current mission is delayed. If it slides it will slide a month but it will launch before December. Harsh is sorta right. Lots of things happening with D14 and D15 that isn't being discussed here or on other sites. Don't worry be happy! Especially if you like 4k and HD! Lots of good things coming very quickly!

 

[goaliebob99]

DIRECTV 15 will support up to 100 HD channels of national coverage.

Alot more than that! Especially when combined with D14 and MPEG 2 legacy going away in a few years.

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

I think DIRECTV will be at CES this year and have a big announcement.

It will be good to see things exciting again.

 

[Jimbo]

Dont worry about that.. The problem is with the other payload on the bird. D14 is on the ground ready to go now. It's very possible that D14 can go up with another heavy payload sat. The reason for the no date is because the current mission is delayed. If it slides it will slide a month but it will launch before December. Harsh is sorta right. Lots of things happening with D14 and D15 that isn't being discussed here or on other sites. Don't worry be happy! Especially if you like 4k and HD! Lots of good things coming very quickly!

This means it will be capable of 4K, doesn't mean that they have 4K programming ... (not D*, the people making the shows.)
Remember the push to have 1080p TV sets, well there still isn't any networks or other channels that are running 4k on a regular basis yet ... and 1080p is being passed up for 4k already.

Yes there is some 1080p stuff out there, Games and the occasional movie, but for the most part, it's not being used efficiently ...

Heres hoping the 4k push doesn't go down the same road.
They are already talking about 8k in some areas.


Didn't we uswe to have a few sites that we could keep track of the new D* Sats, or was that only for the actual launch ?

 

[mike123abc]

Every satellite DIRECTV has up there could do 4k. 4k is not a satellite issue - satellites simply send down the bits that they are sent. If they are sent a 4k bit stream, they will send it right back down and be none the wiser.

 

[joed32]

Dont worry about that.. The problem is with the other payload on the bird. D14 is on the ground ready to go now. It's very possible that D14 can go up with another heavy payload sat. The reason for the no date is because the current mission is delayed. If it slides it will slide a month but it will launch before December. Harsh is sorta right. Lots of things happening with D14 and D15 that isn't being discussed here or on other sites. Don't worry be happy! Especially if you like 4k and HD! Lots of good things coming very quickly!

Thanks!

 

[goaliebob99]

This means it will be capable of 4K, doesn't mean that they have 4K programming ... (not D*, the people making the shows.)
Remember the push to have 1080p TV sets, well there still isn't any networks or other channels that are running 4k on a regular basis yet ... and 1080p is being passed up for 4k already.

Yes there is some 1080p stuff out there, Games and the occasional movie, but for the most part, it's not being used efficiently ...

Heres hoping the 4k push doesn't go down the same road.
They are already talking about 8k in some areas.


Didn't we use to have a few sites that we could keep track of the new D* Sats, or was that only for the actual launch ?

The reason why you didn't see the 1080P push was because everyone knew 4k was coming. 8K isnt ready and the broadcasters are committing to 4k. They didn't want to put CAP EX into swapping their plants when they knew that in 2015-2017 they would be doing that to go 4k. Programming and content is coming. Also, the way the spec is written or being written 8k will be included to future proof the spec. Lots of thought is being put into it to see that this spec isnt outdated as quickly as the last one. We have come so far sense then. The Koreans and the British (BBC) are using the world cup as trials for 4k. This is a very good thing. I know of at least one channel that has plans on going 4k in the near future and the mouse usually is on the cutting edge when comes to sports programming... Dahdah Da dah Dahdah Da! Remember their 3D channel... Well that's being changed a bit! This years superbowl will be a trial superbowl with the first 4k superbowl coming in a few years. It's funny because they actually already do the replays in 4k for the superbowl and when they do the super zoom, they just crop that 4k picture into a 1080 area within that 4k picture and can move it around based upon what they want the viewer to see.

You will see the big 4k push start in a few years with the ATSC 3.0 push that's going to happen concurrently. The specs are well over 20 years old and need to be changed as they cant handle the future formats that are going to become today's formats. 4k will be easy for movie channels as majority of that content is shot in that format or already has been converted into 4k. I predict by 2017 we will be complaining about why Directv doesn't carry XYZ in 4k and why you have to put up with the crappy HD signal and how 150 channels of 4k isn't enough.

That was for the actual launch.

 

[harshness]

It's very possible that D14 can go up with another heavy payload sat.

As DIRECTV 14 is itself a very heavy payload, it has to team with a relatively light bus (or buses). The payload capacity of the Ariane 5 ECA spacecraft is 10 tons. DIRECTV 14 is projected to weigh 6.5 tons at launch (I assume this includes the faring and fuel to get it from GTO to GEO).

Today's update from salo suggests that DIRECTV 14 becomes a bigger a question for 2014 as it is too heavy to go with the birds that are looking for a new companion (Measat 3b and Jabiru 2, launch VA218) that has been rescheduled for NET September when OPTUS 10 (LS-1300) wasn't ready in time. The other satellite that is looking for a partner is Intelsat 30 (aka Intelsat DLA-1, LS-1300, launch VA219) that is being launched to serve DIRECTVLA and it is probably bubba-sized as well.

As it stands, Arianspace will only have done three Ariane 5 launches in almost the first seven months of 2014. The span between the most recent launch (#2, March 22nd) and the next launch (#3, July 25th) is scheduled to be 125 days!

salo's schedule has quite a few birds left that might launch after the July launch (those with VAnnn launch vehicles would seem to be in the queue):

September - Intelsat 30/DLA 1 (TBD), Arsat 1 - Ariane 5 ECA (VA220) - Kourou ELA-3
NET September - Measat 3b/Jabiru 2, TBD - Ariane 5 ECA (VA218) - Kourou ELA-3
fourth quarter - Thor 7, Sicral-2/Syracuse-3C - Ariane 5 ECA (VA221) - Kourou ELA-3
fourth quarter - DirecTV 14 - Ariane 5 ECA - Kourou ELA-3 (or 2015)
end of year - Star One C4 - Ariane 5 ECA - Kourou ELA-3 (or 2015)
TBD - Optus 10 - Ariane 5 ECA - Kourou ELA-3 (or 2015)

It would appear that getting off a 7th launch in 2014 is pushing very hard.

As Arianespace is having to babysit DLA-1 and Arsat 1 until they launch, I doubt that DIRECTV 14 is anywhere near French Guiana and if it is consistent with recent DIRECTV history, it probably isn't finished yet. The other thing that makes me think DIRECTV 14 isn't ready is that it's originally assigned launch vehicle, VA221, was reassigned in mid-May to Thor 7 (LS-1300).

This may come down to DIRECTV having to choose between DLA-1 and DIRECTV 14 going up this year.

 

[goaliebob99]

Directv 14 has been ready sense January waiting to launch, it's not D14 thats the issue. It was D14's companion satellite. If I remember right this bird is french built and they have been cranking them out ahead of time. Also the companion bird had some payload issues and they had to send it back pushing that one back a few months. Your right on the weight for some reason I was typing heavy payload when I meant light. Directv is prepping both as if they are going to happen this year, and everything I have heard on my end suggests that October / November is feasible.

 

[harshness]

Directv 14 has been ready sense January waiting to launch, it's not D14 thats the issue.

Where did you learn this?

Directv is prepping both as if they are going to happen this year, and everything I have heard on my end suggests that October / November is feasible.

DIRECTV announce a while back that DIRECTV 15 is slated to launch in the "first half of 2015". At the same time, they said that DIRECTV 14's launch was planned for Q4 2014.

I'm suspicious of whether what you heard was up-to-date.

You may be shocked to learn that SSL builds their birds in Palo Alto, California.

 

[Jimbo]

I think DIRECTV will be at CES this year and have a big announcement.

It will be good to see things exciting again.

You mean with an actual Booth ?