SkyTerra 1 L-band Antenna Deployed After Delay Scare

[Satellite TODAY 12-15-10] The SkyTerra 1 mobile broadband satellite’s 22-meter-diameter L-band antenna has been deployed after a glitch delayed its full deployment and threatened the mission, manufacturer and prime contractor Boeing Space and Intelligence Systems announced Dec. 14.

The manufacturer and the antenna subcontractor Harris Corp. confirmed that all SkyTerra 1 systems are operating normally. Further satellite checkout procedures will continue over the next several months before the satellite is handed over to LightSquared and Harbinger Capital Partners.

“Although the occasional delay in full deployment sometimes occurs on a satellite, it is not a situation we face very often. Today’s success is due to the talented men and women at Boeing and their unparalleled expertise in operating satellites and in creatively and successfully resolving the issue,” Craig Cooning, general manager of Boeing Space and Intelligence Systems, said in a statement.

The satellite, launched Nov. 14, aims to help LightSquared build and operate a 4G-LTE satellite and mobile broadband network for wireless providers in the United States.