Horizons-2 is a communications satellite

Communications satellite

A communications satellite is an artificial satellite stationed in space for the purpose of telecommunications...

 owned by Horizons Satellite LLC

Horizons Satellite LLC

Horizons Satellite LLC is a joint venture between Intelsat and JSAT. The company was originally formed in 2005, pursuant to a memorandum of understanding between JSAT and PanAmSat Arianespace launched the Horizons-2 satellite at 21:41 GMT on 21 December 2007....

, a joint venture between JSAT and Intelsat

Intelsat

Intelsat, Ltd. is a communications satellite services provider.Originally formed as International Telecommunications Satellite Organization , it was—from 1964 to 2001—an intergovernmental consortium owning and managing a constellation of communications satellites providing international broadcast...

. Its orbital slot is located at 74° west

74th meridian west

The meridian 74° west of Greenwich is a line of longitude that extends from the North Pole across the Arctic Ocean, North America, the Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea, South America, the Pacific Ocean, the Southern Ocean, and Antarctica to the South Pole....

 longitude.

Launch

Horizons-2 was launched from the Guiana Space Centre — along with the Rascom-QAF 1 spacecraft — aboard an Arianespace Ariane 5-GS

Ariane 5

Ariane 5 is, as a part of Ariane rocket family, an expendable launch system used to deliver payloads into geostationary transfer orbit or low Earth orbit . Ariane 5 rockets are manufactured under the authority of the European Space Agency and the Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales...

. Launch occurred at 21:42 GMT on 21 December 2007.

Platform and payload

Horizons-2 was built by Orbital Sciences Corporation

Orbital Sciences Corporation

Orbital Sciences Corporation is an American company which specializes in the manufacturing and launch of satellites. Its Launch Systems Group is heavily involved with missile defense launch systems...

 based on its STAR Bus

STAR Bus

STAR Bus is a satellite platform manufactured by Orbital Sciences Corporation with an apogee kick motor to place a communications satellite into geostationary orbit, a thruster to provide the satellite with orbital station-keeping for a 15 year mission, and solar arrays to provide the satellite...

 satellite platform, which will generate 3.5 kilowatts of payload power. Its payload consists of 20 Ku-band transponders.

Spacecraft Specifications

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Launch Mass: 2,350 kg

Solar Arrays: Three panels per array, UJT Gallium Arsenide cells

Stabilization: 3-axis stabilized; zero momentum system

Propulsion: Liquid bi-propellant transfer orbit system; monopropellant (hydrazine)

Batteries: Two >3850 W-Hr capacity Li-Ion batteries

Mission Life: 15 years (fueled for over 16 years)

Orbit: 74 degrees West Longitude

Band: K_u band

Ku band

The Kμ band is a portion of the electromagnetic spectrum in the microwave range of frequencies. This symbol refers to —in other words, the band directly below the K-band...

Repeater: 16 active transponders with 22-for-16 redundant 85 W TWTA's; and 4

active transponders with 6-for-4 redundant 150 W TWTA's

TWTA Power: 3.5 kW minimum EOL

Antenna: Two 2.3 m dual gridded shaped reflectors


NORAD ID: 32388

International Code: 2007-063B

Perigee: 35,784.2 km

Apogee: 35,803.5 km

Inclination: 0.0°

Period: 1,436.1 min

Coverage

The satellite will provide service to the continental United States, the Caribbean and parts of Canada.