37218 - SKYTERRA 1

SkyTerra 1, a commercial communication satellite, was launched from Baikonur at 17:29 UT on 14 November 2010. The craft was launched by a Proton rocket with a Breeze M upper stage and weighed 5.36 tonnes. SkyTerra 1 joins traditional terrestrial cell networks to shape a fourth-generation, or 4G, wireless system designed to reach nearly every American by the end of 2016. It carries a 22-m diameter L-band antenna, the largest commercial antenna reflector ever built. The satellite also carries a 2 m Ku-band antenna. The satellite will ultimately be positioned in geosynchronous orbit at 101.3 degrees W longitude. SkyTerra 1 has a design life of at least 15 years.

Facts in Brief

Launch Date: 2010-11-14
Launch Vehicle: Proton
Launch Site: Tyuratam (Baikonur Cosmodrome), Kazakhstan