EchoStar XVI is an American geostationary communications satellite which is operated by EchoStar. It is positioned in geostationary orbit, and will be located at a longitude of 61.5° West, from where it is intended to provide direct broadcasting of high-definition television services to the United States for Dish Network.[1][2]

EchoStar XVI
Mission typeCommunication
OperatorEchoStar
COSPAR ID2012-065A Edit this at Wikidata
SATCAT no.39008Edit this on Wikidata
Mission duration15 years (planned)
Spacecraft properties
BusLS-1300
ManufacturerSpace Systems/Loral
Launch mass6,683 kilograms (14,733 lb)
Start of mission
Launch date20 November 2012, 18:31 (2012-11-20UTC18:31Z) UTC
RocketProton-M/Briz-M
Launch siteBaikonur 200/39
ContractorILS
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric
RegimeGeostationary
Longitude61.5° West
Period24 hours
Transponders
Band36 J band (IEEE Ku band)

EchoStar XVI was built by Space Systems/Loral, and is based on the LS-1300 satellite bus. It is equipped with 32 J band (IEEE Ku band) transponders.[1] At launch it had a mass of 6,258 kilograms (13,797 lb). It has a design life of fifteen years.[2] It has a common configuration with EchoStar XI and EchoStar XV.

The launch of EchoStar XVI was conducted by International Launch Services, using a Proton-M carrier rocket with a Briz-M upper stage. The launch occurred on 20 November 2012, 18:31 UTC from Site 200/39 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.[3][4]

The arts organization Creative Time launched an archival disc created by artist Trevor Paglen called The Last Pictures into orbit on EchoStar XVI. Made of ultra-archival materials, the disc is expected to orbit the planet Earth for millions of years and possibly up to several billion years affixed to the exterior of the communications satellite if left untouched. The silicon wafer disc, protected by a gold-plated aluminum cover bolted to the satellite's exterior, contains one hundred black-and-white photographs selected to represent the artist's take on modern human history.[5]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Echostar 16 at SatBeams". SatBeams.
  2. ^ a b "Echostar 16 at Gunter's Space Page". Gunter's Space Page.
  3. ^ "November 2012 Launch Calendar". Spaceflight101. Archived from the original on 2012-11-23.
  4. ^ "EchoStar Telecom Satellite Launched from Baikonur". RIA-Novosti. 20 November 2012. Retrieved 20 November 2012.
  5. ^ "The Last Pictures launches with EchoStar XVI satellite". Kurzweil.
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