Telenor THOR 5 Tests Triumphant

Telenor Satellite Broadcasting (TSBc) completed conducting in-orbit testing of THOR 5. Consensus is that THOR 5 passed with everyone’s approval and the satellite was deployed into its final orbital location of 1° W to start its commercial service. THOR 5 is a product of Orbital Sciences Corporation. The satellite was launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome on the February 11th, 2008 to receive in-orbit testing. From the testing, Telenor Satellite Broadcasting then became owners of the new satellite, which will be controlled by its in-house space division located in Oslo, Norway. THOR 5 will deliver Direct-To-Home (DTH) broadcasting services that currently resides on Thor II as well as provide natural expansion in the Nordic region and Central and Eastern Europe. The new satellite is equipped with 24 transponders with 3x more payload power than the Thor II satellite. The traffic transition begins on April 15th and is to be completed by April 25th—Oslo, Norway