SES Bird Supporting DISH Ready to Fly

[Gregg Lengling]

SES Americom's AMC-15 satellite, a hybrid Ku/Ka-Band spacecraft that will support EchoStar's DISH Network, has been delivered to the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan for its scheduled Sept. 24 launch aboard a Proton launch vehicle.

The spacecraft was built by Lockheed Martin Commercial Space Systems and will be launched by International Launch Services. The satellite will operate from 105 degrees, close to one of EchoStar's orbital locations at 110 degrees, and support advanced video and broadband services for the satellite TV company.

AMC-15 carries 12 Ka-Band spot beams and 24 Ku-Band transponders. The satellite can deliver both direct-to-home video and broadband services to a single dish, and it covers all 50 states.

Said Dean Olmstead, president and CEO at SES Americom, "AMC-15 is pivotal to our strategic and expanding relationship with EchoStar, as well as to the development of broadband solutions for both the residential and enterprise markets. We worked closely with EchoStar on the technical design of the spacecraft to ensure complete compatibility with their existing and future services. Americom is ready to operate its first Ka-Band payload, and we believe EchoStar will fully utilize the satellite's spectrum to expand their offerings to their subscribers."