Satellite Update

By Doug Lung
published

The FCC granted a 10-month extension to TerreStar Networks’ application to launch a satellite to provide mobile satellite service (MSS) in the U.S. using the 2 GHz band. The FCC said, “TerreStar has provided sufficient information to the Commission to justify the need for an extension of time to prepare its satellite for launch. Grant of this extension will allow TerreStar to bring into service a state-of-the-art satellite with advanced capabilities to meet homeland security and other service needs.”

Without the extension, TerreStar would have been required to launch the satellite into its assigned orbital location by November 2007. The extension gives it until Sept. 30, 2008.TerreStar did not request an extension of the November 30, 2008 deadline for certifying the system is operational.

The extension was required because of unforeseeable problems completing construction of three satellite components: S-band low-noise amplifiers, oscillators, and the S-band feed array. The FCC Memorandum Opinion and Order granting the extension outlines the specific problems TerreStar and Loral encountered with these components.

Doug Lung
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.