The EchoStar VII telecommunications satellite, designed and
built by Lockheed Martin Commercial Space Systems for EchoStar Orbital
Corporation, was launched successfully today from this seaside launch
complex aboard an Atlas IIIB rocket provided by International Launch
Services. Liftoff occurred at 7:43 a.m. EST and initial contact with
the satellite, called acquisition of signal, was confirmed at 8:43
a.m. EST from the Lockheed Martin satellite tracking station in
Uralla, Australia.
“We are extremely proud of the capability we have demonstrated
today in providing a total system solution for our valued customer
EchoStar,” said Ted Gavrilis, president, Lockheed Martin Commercial
Space Systems. “Atlas gave us a perfect ride and I commend our
commercial space team for meeting our commitment to deliver a world
class, high-performance spacecraft that will greatly enhance
EchoStar’s direct-to-home satellite TV service.”
EchoStar VII is based on the Lockheed Martin A2100 AX satellite
bus optimized for direct broadcast applications. The spacecraft, with
nearly 10 kilowatts of power, will provide satellite TV services over
the United States and will include spot-beam coverage. EchoStar VII is
the fifth EchoStar satellite built by Lockheed Martin and is the third
EchoStar satellite constructed on the award-winning A2100 design. The
satellite will operate at 119 degrees West Longitude orbital location.
The Atlas III is a planned progression from the
100-percent-successful Atlas II series. It also introduced
technologies that will be used on the Atlas V, which Lockheed Martin
developed for both commercial missions and the U.S. Air Force’s
Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) program.
Lockheed Martin Commercial Space Systems, based in Newtown, Pa.,
markets, designs and builds geostationary and non-geostationary
telecommunications and remote sensing satellites for customers
worldwide. LMCSS is an operating unit of Lockheed Martin Space Systems
Company, one of the core business areas of the Lockheed Martin
Corporation . Lockheed Martin has a 41-year heritage of
building reliable spacecraft for commercial and military customers,
having launched more than 875 spacecraft and clocking nearly 1,500
years of on-orbit performance experience.
For images of the Echostar VII satellite, please visit:
http://lmms.external.lmco.com/photos/commercial_space/ and click on
EchoStar.
