Satellite Update - May 13, 2010
From FCC Report SAT-00688[PDF]:
- • Intelsat North America requested amendment of its application to launch and operate Galaxy KA at 89.1 degrees west longitude (WL). Intelsat no longer seeks authority to operate Galaxy KA in the 18.3 – 18.8 GHz (space-to-Earth) and 28.35 – 28.6 GHz and 29.25 – 28.6 GHz (Earth-to-space) frequency bands or operate a beam to provide service to South America. Intelsat states that Galaxy KA will replace the Ka-band portion of Galaxy 28 at 89 degrees WL and should be treated as a replacement satellite under Section 25.165(e) of the FCC rules. It requested grant of the amended application without milestones or bonds and outside the Commission's satellite processing "queue."
- • SkyTerra Subsidiary LLC requested a five-month extension, until Oct. 31, 2010, of the milestone for launching and beginning operation of the SkyTerra 1 space station and a waiver of the requirement to relieve pressure vessels when decommissioning the satellite at the end of its service life.
From FCC Report SAT-00687 [PDF]:
- • The FCC granted a request from Hughes Networks Systems LLC to allow Ka-band satellite SPACEWAY 4 operating at 107.1 degrees WL access to the U.S. market. SPACEWAY 4 operates under the authority of the United Kingdom. Fixed satellite service (FSS) may be provided using the 28.35 – 29.1 GHz and 29.25 – 30.0 GHz bands (Earth-to-space) and the 18.3 – 19.3 GHz and 19.7 – 20.2 GHz bands (space-to-Earth). The 18.8 – 19.1 GHz band (space-to-Earth) may be used on a non-interference basis.
- • DISH Operating LLC was allowed to modify certain technical parameters of its EchoStar 14 DBS satellite at 118.9 degrees WL.
- • Intelsat North America LLC received special temporary authority (STA) to conduct telemetry, tracking and telecommand (TT&C) operations necessary to drift C- and Ku-band Intelsat 705 from its assigned location at 50 degrees WL to 29.5 degrees WL and to temporarily provide service from that location using the 3700 – 4200 MHz, 10950 – 11200 MHz,11500 – 11700 MHz, 11700 – 11950 MHz, 12500 – 12750 MHz bands for space-to-Earth communication and 5925 – 6425 MHz and 14000 – 14500 MHz for Earth-to-space communications. Intelsat was also given STA for 14 days to continue to conduct TT&C operations necessary to complete moving Intelsat 709 from 50.0 degrees east longitude (EL) to 58.45 degrees EL.
- • PanAmSat Licensee Corp was granted STA for 30 days, commencing May 6, 2010, to conduct TT&C operations with Galaxy 15 outside the +/- 0.05 degree east/west station-keeping box previously authorized for Galaxy 15.
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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.