ProtoStar-I Parading Perfect Performance

SS/L + ProtoStar — Space Systems/Loral (SS/L) has announced that the ProtoStar I satellite, which was launched on Monday afternoon from the European Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, is successfully performing post-launch maneuvers. The satellite successfully deployed its solar arrays on Monday evening and will initiate thruster firings later today to place it in its circular geosynchronous orbit. Orbit raising operations are being conducted from SS/L’s Mission Control Center in Palo Alto, California. Following final placement into its orbital slot, the satellite will undergo routine in-orbit testing and will start providing service to ProtoStar’s anchor customer, Dish TV India Limited, the largest Direct-to-Home television operator in India. The satellite’s Tracking, Telemetry, and Command will be managed by Singapore Telecommunications Limited (SingTel), which is also a C-band customer on the satellite. The satellite is based on SS/L’s highly reliable, high-heritage, 1300 spacecraft bus, which provides the flexibility for a broad range of applications. It will operate in both Ku- and C-band and is expected to provide more than 15 years of service.