Intelsat Wins ProtoStar 1 Satellite Auction

Intelsat was the successful bidder in the Oct. 29 auction for the ProtoStar 1 satellite. The satellite, built by Space Systems Loral, has 22 Ku-band and 38 C-band transponders, and was launched in July 2008.

ProtoStar is in Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings and Intelsat will change the name of the satellite to Intelsat 25. According to Lyngsat.com the satellite is located at 98.5 degrees east longitude. It was originally called Chinasat 8.

"Intelsat continues to demonstrate its ability to execute transactions that enhance the value of its global network," said Phillip Spector, Intelsat executive vice president and general counsel. "A healthy, in-orbit satellite is extremely valuable to us given our high fleet utilization. The additional inventory will support future revenue growth and provide resilience. Over the past several years we have enjoyed strong demand for our services in Africa, and this capacity will allow us to support the growth requirements of our customers, including wireless operators and broadband service providers."

Ne noted that due to the scale of the company and its satellite locations, it would be able to incorporate the Intelsat 25 bird with a "minimal incremental cost" and should be able to quickly turn it into a revenue producer.

Spacenews.com reported Intelsat spokesman Dianne J. VanBeber as saying that the company is likely to move the satellite to a vacant slot over the Atlantic Ocean, possibly 328.5 degrees east longitude, and use it to cover Africa.

Intelsat won the auction with a $210 million cash bid.

Doug Lung

Doug Lung is one of America's foremost authorities on broadcast RF technology. As vice president of Broadcast Technology for NBCUniversal Local, H. Douglas Lung leads NBC and Telemundo-owned stations’ RF and transmission affairs, including microwave, radars, satellite uplinks, and FCC technical filings. Beginning his career in 1976 at KSCI in Los Angeles, Lung has nearly 50 years of experience in broadcast television engineering. Beginning in 1985, he led the engineering department for what was to become the Telemundo network and station group, assisting in the design, construction and installation of the company’s broadcast and cable facilities. Other projects include work on the launch of Hawaii’s first UHF TV station, the rollout and testing of the ATSC mobile-handheld standard, and software development related to the incentive auction TV spectrum repack.
A longtime columnist for TV Technology, Doug is also a regular contributor to IEEE Broadcast Technology. He is the recipient of the 2023 NAB Television Engineering Award. He also received a Tech Leadership Award from TV Tech publisher Future plc in 2021 and is a member of the IEEE Broadcast Technology Society and the Society of Broadcast Engineers.