Telesat Satellite May Only Operate Around Half Capacity

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[Satellite TODAY Insider 05-26-11] Canadian satellite operator Telesat’s new 14R/Estrela do Sul 2 satellite, in a worst-case scenario, may only operate at around 50 percent of its full capacity. Telesat said in a press statement issued May 25 that the satellite’s north solar array has failed to fully deploy. The south solar array has deployed successfully and is providing power to the spacecraft, which is stable and is otherwise operating as expected. A source close to the situation called the issue “an unusual problem.”

Telesat went further in the press statement and said that it expects the satellite will “at a minimum, support all of the existing services to customers presently provided by Telstar 14/Estrela do Sul, the satellite it will replace at 63 degrees West.” The new satellite has almost double the capacity of Telstar 14/Estrela do Sul, the satellite it is replacing.

The satellite’s manufacturer, Space Systems/Loral (SS/L), is analyzing data from the satellite to better understand the situation and determine what steps, if any, can be taken to attempt to rectify the north solar array deployment failure. If SS/L is unable to resolve the issue, then the satellite may in essence only reach 50 percent of its full capability.

Telstar 14R/Estrela do Sul 2 is a Ku-band satellite that will deliver services to growing markets that include Brazil, the United States, the North Atlantic Ocean Region as well as the Andean and Southern Cone region of South America. The satellite has 46 Ku-band transponders and five antenna beams with on-orbit switching capability that will allow its capacity to be reconfigured depending on market demand.

Telesat has strong transponder take-up rates across its fleet, and in its most recent results the company said that it has close to 90 percent of its capacity in its North America fleet accounted for and 77 percent of the capacity on its international fleet taken up. While it does not give precise figures for exact satellites, these are high transponder fill rates.