Tempo 2

Renamed Directv 6

---

General

Designation	24748 / 97011A
Launch date	8 Mar 1997
Country of origin	United States
Mission	Telecommunications
Geostationary orbit	see below
Launch vehicle	Atlas 2A (#106)

The satellite experienced solar flare after launch (11 Apr 1997) and its solar arrays have experienced problems. The satellite is said to suffer from "temporary power fluctuations". It is also claimed that the satellite was not operating normally before the solar flare. Up to 4 transponders might be out of order. Insurance paid $21 million.

TSAT did not accept the satellite (as of Nov 1997) since it is believed that only 85% of the design output power can be achieved. It the satellite is not usable, SS/L has 29 months to provide a replacement satellite.

---

Location

Begin	End	Position
L: 8 Mar 1997	Apr 1997	109.5°W
mid-Apr 1997	Jun 2003	119°W
Jul 2003	Oct 2005	109.8°W
Nov 2005	Aug 2006	109.5°W, inclined (spare)

---

End of life

Out of service	15 Aug 2006
Cause	Sent to the junk orbit

---

External resources

sat-index articles

Technical data

---

Lyngsat transponder loading

Specifications
Ku-band
Ku-band DBS US frequency chart

---