The EchoStar 16 direct broadcast satellite slated to launch in mid- to late November aboard an International Launch Services Proton Breeze M rocket has arrived at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, according to an Oct. 16 press release from the satellite’s builder, Space Systems/Loral.
Built for U.S. satellite fleet operator EchoStar Corp. of Englewood, Colo., EchoStar 16 is fully leased to DISH Network to provide direct-to-home television services in the United States. The 20-kilowatt satellite is based on the Space System/Loral 1300 platform and is the eighth satellite the Palo Alto, Calif.-based company has delivered to EchoStar.
The satellite will be positioned at 61.5 degrees west longitude, where it is expected to provide service for at least 15 years.
After suffering a failure in early August that left Russian and Indonesian telecommunications satellites in useless orbits, the Proton Breeze M returned to flight Oct. 14 carrying Intelsat’s IS-23 satellite.
