After notable failed satellite missions elsewhere, DirecTV is reporting the successful launch of two spacecraft that it says will significantly increase HD capacity, secure the future of 4K/Ultra HD and back up its existing fleet.
Launched on a single ARIANE 5 launch vehicle operated by Arianespace from the European Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, the two new craft comprise DIRECTV-15 (D-15), an all-CONUS (Continental United States, including Hawaii, Alaska and Puerto Rico) beam satellite, and SKY MEXICO-1 (SKYM-1), SKY MEXICO’s first owned-and-operated satellite.
Positioned at 103° West and operational for the next 15 years, D-15 represents DirecTV’s first offering with the capability to operate in all five of the company’s orbital slots and in all frequency bands (Ku, Ka and Reverse). It is the first all-CONUS beam DirecTV satellite to launch in ten years, and will expand national capacity for not only HDTV services but also emerging 4K/Ultra HD channels as they come on-stream in a country crucial to its development. It will also provide critical back-up for existing CONUS transponders.