All preparations have been completed for the July
12 launch of Anik F2, a high-power satellite built by Boeing [NYSE:BA] that
will deliver North America’s first commercial satellite-based broadband
communications service.
The launch from the Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana, is
scheduled to take place at approximately 8:43 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time
(9:43 p.m. Kourou Time).
Telesat, the world’s longest-standing commercial satellite operator, will
use Anik F2 to enable cost-effective, two-way, high-speed Internet access to
businesses and consumers from the southern continental United States to the
northern reaches of Alaska and Canada. Anik F2 will also open the door to
new government broadband services for such applications as tele-learning,
tele-health, and e-services. Anik F2 will operate from geostationary orbit
at 111.1 degrees West longitude.
"With its Ka-band, C-band, and Ku-band transponders, plus a xenon ion
propulsion system for on-orbit maneuvering, Anik F2 incorporates some of
Boeing’s most sophisticated flight-proven technology," said David Ryan,
president of Boeing Satellite Systems International. "Anik F2 is also the
third generation of satellite designs we have built for Telesat, continuing
a relationship that has entered its fourth decade."
Anik F2, built by Boeing Satellite Systems in El Segundo, Calif., will be
the 10th Boeing-built spacecraft Telesat has deployed since Anik A1 was
launched in 1972, and the 9th Boeing 702 satellite delivered since 1999.
With 35 years of engineering and technical experience, Telesat is among the
world’s longest-standing commercial satellite operators. The company made
history in 1972 when Anik A1, built by Boeing, became Canada’s first
domestic commercial communications satellite in geostationary orbit. Telesat
provides telecommunications and broadcast distribution services in the
Americas and is a leading consultant, operator, and partner in satellite
ventures around the globe. Telesat is a wholly owned subsidiary of BCE Inc.,
a leading telecommunications company with shares listed in the United
States, Canada and Europe.
A unit of The Boeing Company, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is one of
the world’s largest space and defense businesses. Headquartered in St.
Louis, Boeing Integrated Systems is a $27 billion business that provides
systems solutions to its global military, government, and commercial
customers. It is a leading provider of intelligence, surveillance and
reconnaissance systems; the world’s largest military aircraft manufacturer;
the world’s largest satellite manufacturer and a leading provider of
space-based communications; the primary systems integrator for U.S. missile
defense; NASA’s largest contractor; and a global leader in launch services.
