PARIS - The
largest commercial satellite ever built - the massive TerreStar-1 - launched
into space on Wednesday, riding a European-built rocket into orbit.
Weighing in
at 15,233 pounds (6,910 kg), TerreStar-1 lifted off atop an Ariane 5 ECA rocket
at 1:52 p.m. EDT (1752 GMT) from the Guiana Space Center in French Guiana.
The launch
was the third of seven Ariane 5 ECA launches planned for 2009 by the European
launch firm Arianespace. Because of its size, TerreStar-1 was the sole payload onboard
the vehicle, which is typically used to place two telecommunications
satellites at a time into geostationary transfer orbit.
In addition
to its mass, TerreStar-1 is distinguished by a giant, 60-foot (18-meter) wide S-band
antenna that will be unfurled in the coming weeks. Once the satellite's two
solar wings are deployed, TerreStar-1 is expected to have a wingspan of about 106
feet (32.4 meters). The satellite and its S-band antenna are expected to be put
through several months of ground tests before entering commercial service
toward the end of the year, according to its owners, the Reston, Va.-based TerreStar Networks Inc.
TerreStar-1
was built by the California-based Space Systems/Loral.
It is designed to provide mobile voice and data communications in North
America to smartphone-size handsets using the 2-gigahertz, or S-band, portion
of the radio spectrum. The system is designed to function with a network of
ground-based signal amplifiers to permit service in areas the satellite cannot
reach, such as urban canyons and areas outside the line-of-sight view of the
spacecraft.
With its
satellite now
launched, TerreStar faces some of the same challenges that ICO Global, also
of Reston, faced following the launch of its S-band mobile communications
satellite in mid-2008: How to secure the remaining investment needed to deploy
the network of ground repeaters, called the Ancillary Terrestrial Component,
which are crucial to making the service work. It is an investment likely to total
at least several hundred million dollars. ICO has since filed for Chapter 11
bankruptcy protection as it seeks to reorganize its debt.
"Today's
launch is just the beginning of the TerreStar story," said TerreStar President,
Jeff Epstein, in a statement. "We believe there are tremendous opportunities
ahead - in both the commercial and government sectors - and we remain focused
on our promise to help solve the critical communications and business
continuity challenges faced by government, emergency responders, enterprises
and rural communities."
SPACE.com staff contributed to this report.
advertisement
