Satellite fleet operator Telenor Satellite Broadcasting of Norway has inaugurated use of a new orbital position at 4 degrees west by moving its aging Thor 3 satellite there, Oslo-based Telenor announced.
Telenor’s new Thor 6 satellite has taken over all traffic formerly handled by Thor 3 at the company’s core 1 degree west orbital slot, freeing up Thor 3 to be leased or sold to another company, or repositioned.
Telenor said it has broadcast frequency rights at the 4 degrees west slot and expects that Thor 3, which has been placed in inclined orbit to save on fuel, will be able to operate for another six to 10 years. Telenor said it plans to provide satellite services from Thor 3 into the Middle East “and will announce further details in due course.”
Thor 3, a Boeing 376 platform, was launched in 1998.
