Echostar 2

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General

Designation	24313 / 96055A
Launch date	11 Sep 1996
Country of origin	United States
Mission	Telecommunications
Geostationary orbit	see below
Launch vehicle	Ariane V91

Launch opportunities had been reserved with Long March and Proton but finally after the numerous launch problems, Echostar choose Ariane for launch.

The total satellite, launch and insurance are estimated at $225 million The satellite entered service on 1st Nov 1996.

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Location

Begin	End	Position
L: 11 Sep 1996	Nov 2001	118.8°W
Dec 2001	Jul 2008	148°W

The channels used by this satellite were originally licensed to Directsat Corp. This entity was transfered from SSE Telecom to Echostar in Nov 1994. Directsat was licensed to provide 11 channels of eastern half-CONUS or full-CONUS DBS service on even-numbered channels 2-20, at orbital position 119° West and on channel 24 at orbital position 110°West, and 11 channels of western half-CONUS service on odd-numbered channels 1-21 at orbital position 175°West.

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End of life

Out of service	14 Jul 2008
Cause	Total failure

sat-index articles

Technical data

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Lyngsat transponder loading

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Specifications

Prime contractor	LM Astro Space
Platform	GE-7000
Mass at launch	2800 kg
Mass in orbit
Dimension
Solar array
Stabilization	3-axis
DC power
Design lifetime	10 years

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Ku-band

Main transponders	16
Backup transponders
Power	130 W
Bandwidth	24 MHz
Coverage & EIRP max	CONUS only: 53 dBW (US Virgin Island: 1.8 m dish)
Polarization	LHCP
Frequencies	uplink: 17.3-17.8 GHz downlink: 12.2-12.7 GHz

Ku-band DBS US frequency chart

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