PAS 9 [Boeing BSS]
PAS-9 was one of three HS-601HP satellites ordered Oct. 12, 1998, from Hughes Space and Communications Company (HSC) by PanAmSat Corporation. The satellite will provide broadcast and general communications services in C- and Ku-band for the Americas, the Caribbean and western Europe, plus direct-to-home services for Mexico in Ku-band. PAS-9 will replace PAS-5 at 58° West longitude.
The satellite is a Hughes HS-601HP body-stabilized model, carrying 48 active transponders, 24 in C-band and 24 in Ku-band. The contract calls for 15 years of service. PanAmSat made its own arrangements for the launch vehicle.
All Boeing 601 spacecraft use the same basic bus design, allowing the company to realize efficiencies gained by production volume, tooling investments and quantity buys. The standard 601 model, with silicon solar panels, provides up to 4-5 kilowatts. The 601HP version uses gallium arsenide solar panels and other technological advances to provide as much as 10 kilowatts.
PAS-9 has 9.9 kilowatts at beginning of life, featuring leading technologies from Hughes Electronics Corporation subsidiaries. These include Hughes Electron Dynamics' xenon ion propulsion system, XIPS, which is 10 times more efficient than its chemical counterpart, and Spectrolab Inc.'s dual-junction gallium arsenide solar cells with conversion efficiencies of more than 21 percent.
PanAmSat ordered PAS-10 in Sept. 1999. A HS-601HP satellite, PAS-10 carries a total of 48 active transponders, 24 in C-band and 24 in Ku-band. The satellite was launched on a Proton-K Blok-DM3 rocket in May 2001. PAS-10 is an international satellite that will serve as the replacement for PAS 4, a 601 that was launched on Aug. 3, 1995 and is positioned at 68.5 degrees East longitude. The Boeing 601 satellites are three-axis, body-stabilized models. The series was introduced in 1987, and a high-power "HP" version debuted in 1994.
PAS-10 features such innovations as dual-junction gallium arsenide solar cells, built by Spectrolab, with the ability to convert nearly 22% of the sun's rays into electrical power; and XIPS, a xenon ion propulsion system built by Boeing Electron Dynamic Devices (formerly Hughes Electron Dynamics) that is 10 times more efficient than conventional bipropellant systems. With XIPS, a 90% reduction of propellant mass is possible, enabling the customer to opt for more payload, reduced launch costs, longer satellite life, or any combination of the above.
Intelsat changed the name of the PAS satellites to Intelsat effective to 1. February 2007.
Nation: | USA |
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Type / Application: | Communication |
Operator: | PanAmSat |
Contractors: | Hughes / Boeing |
Equipment: | 24 (+4) C-band transponders, 24 (+4) Ku-band transponders (# 9) 24 (+8) C-band transponders, 24 (+8) Ku-band transponders (#10) |
Configuration: | HS-601HP / BSS-601HP |
Propulsion: | R-4D-11-300, 4 × XIPS-13 ion engines |
Power: | 2 deployable solar arrays, batteries |
Lifetime: | 15 years |
Mass: | 3659 kg (#9), 3739 kg (#10) |
Orbit: | GEO |
Satellite | COSPAR | Date | LS | Launch Vehicle | Remarks | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
PAS 9 → Intelsat 9 | 2000-043A | 28.07.2000 | SL | Zenit-3SL (1) | ||
PAS 10 → Intelsat 10 | 2001-019A | 15.05.2001 | Ba LC-81/23 | Proton-K Blok-DM3 |