A Hughes engineer attaches a cable to Galaxy 10R in preparation for thermal testing. For the test, the satellite is raised into a chamber that is vacuum-sealed and put through numerous cycles of extreme heat and cold to simulate the harsh conditions of space. Photo: Hughes

PanAmSat Corporation announced Monday that less than two weeks after the successful launch of its Galaxy 11 satellite from French Guiana, the company's Galaxy 10R satellite has arrived at the Arianespace launch facility and begun final preparations for liftoff in late January 2000. The launch of Galaxy 10R, the first satellite deployment of the new century, will bring the company's global fleet to 21 spacecraft.

The second of seven rapid deployments scheduled by mid-2001, Galaxy 10R will become the fifth satellite in the Galaxy cable neighborhood, which delivers the leading cable television channels to virtually all of the 11,000 cable systems throughout the United States. The satellite's advanced communications payload will also deliver premium Internet and telecommunications services to high-profile customers throughout North America.

"With the arrival of the Galaxy 10R satellite in French Guiana, PanAmSat's ambitious launch campaign is moving forward at an unprecedented pace," said Robert Bednarek, PanAmSat's executive vice president and chief technology officer. "Galaxy 10R is the second of three new satellites within a four month period that will provide higher power, increased flexibility and more service options in North America for our customers."

Galaxy 10R, an HS 601 HP satellite built by Hughes Space and Communications Co., contains 24 C-band and 24 Ku-band transponders. The satellite will be located at 123 degrees west longitude following its launch aboard an Ariane 4 launch vehicle.

Galaxy 10R will:

• Become PanAmSat's fifth satellite in the Galaxy cable neighborhood, which currently consists of the Galaxy 1R, 5, 7 and 9 satellites;
• Enable PanAmSat to create a new orbital location in the Galaxy cable neighborhood through the migration of Galaxy 9 from 123 degrees west longitude to 127 degrees west longitude;
• Enable cable headends to receive dozens of marquee cable channels from three satellites (Galaxy 10R, Galaxy 5 and Galaxy 9) using one multi-beam antenna;
• Deliver much of cable television's most popular programming to thousands of cable headends throughout the United States, including A&E, Disney, ESPN News, Lifetime, MTV (West), The Movie Channel (West), Nickelodeon (West), The Outdoor Channel, Showtime (West), Showtime Westplex and Sundance. In addition, TVN Entertainment will employ Galaxy 10R for its Digital Cable Television service, offering up to 32 channels of near-video-on-demand movies and events for MSOs (multiple system operators);
• Provide seamless Ku-band services for PanAmSat's current SBS-5 customers as well as significantly expand the Ku-band capacity at 123 degrees west longitude; and
• Serve as the transmission pipeline for communications services offered by telecommunications customers that include California State University at Chico, GCI, Hughes Network Systems, the State of California and the University of Southern California.

A drawing of PanAmSat's global satellite fleet. Photo: PanAmSat

PanAmSat is the world's leading commercial provider of global satellite-based communications services. The company operates a global network of 20 satellites, including the recently launched Galaxy 11 spacecraft. These resources, supported by PanAmSat professionals on five continents, enable PanAmSat to provide video and telecommunications services to the world's premier broadcasters and programmers as well as Internet and telecommunications companies. PanAmSat plans to launch six additional satellites, including Galaxy 10R, by mid-2001.