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RSCC’s Express AM8 Satellite Enters Service

By Caleb Henry | December 1, 2015
      express am8 iss-rechetnev

      RSCC’s Express AM8 satellite. Photo: ISS Reshetnev

      [Via Satellite 12-01-2015] The newest satellite in Russian Satellite Communications Company’s fleet, Express AM8, was commissioned today, Dec. 1, at its nominal orbital slot of 14 degrees West. Express AM8 launched in September 2015 aboard a Proton-M rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome.

      JSC Information Satellite Systems – Reshetnev Company (ISS-Reshetnev) manufactured the spacecraft, which has a service life of 15 years. Express AM8 is intended for TV broadcasting services, data and Internet access, corporate and agency-owned communications networks, as well as communications services for marine and other mobile objects. The coverage zones of Express AM8 in the С- and Ku-bands include Europe, the Middle East, and Latin America.

      “By commissioning the Express AM8 satellite, RSCC completes the implementation of the ‘Development of TV and Radio Broadcasting in the Russian Federation in 2009 to 2018 Federal Target Program’ in respect of the orbital constellation deployment”, said RSCC Director-General Yuri Prokhorov. “Thanks to satellite technologies, 98 percent of Russia’s residents have access to digital broadcasts. Our company has fulfilled its obligations to build the space segment and terrestrial infrastructure for distributing generic TV/radio digital packages across Russia”.

      RSCC’s fleet consists of 13 satellites that together provide global coverage, along with associated ground infrastructure.