Approximately 55 minutes following liftoff at
11:55 p.m. Pacific time on Aug. 18, Boeing's Mission
Control Center in El Segundo received initial
data from the satellite and confirmed that it
was functioning normally. The satellite, launched
aboard a Sea Launch Zenit-3SL rocket from the
Pacific Ocean, is the second of four 702MP satellites
Boeing is building for satellite services provider
Intelsat.
"Intelsat 21 will continue to serve our
customers in the thriving media programming sector
in Latin America," said Thierry Guillemin,
Intelsat senior vice president and chief technical
officer. "And with C- and Ku-band services
designed to span four continents, it will enhance
Intelsat's global mobility network by supporting
the connectivity requirements of our maritime
and aeronautical customers across the South Atlantic."
Replacing Intelsat 9 at 302 degrees east longitude,
the high-powered Intelsat 21 satellite will complete
checkout and testing before entering service later
this year.
"Boeing drew on the proven heritage of the
Boeing 702 product line and a modular-design approach
for the 702MP to enable faster delivery at a lower
cost," said Craig Cooning, chief executive
officer of Boeing Satellite Systems International
and vice president and general manager of Boeing
Space & Intelligence Systems. "As we
fulfill the four-satellite order Intelsat placed
with us in 2009, we will continue to deliver a
quality product."
Intelsat is the leading provider of satellite
services worldwide. For over 45 years, Intelsat
has been delivering information and entertainment
for many of the worlds leading media and
network companies, multinational corporations,
Internet service providers and governmental agencies.
Intelsat's satellite, teleport and fiber infrastructure
is unmatched in the industry, setting the standard
for transmissions of video, data and voice services.
From the globalization of content and the proliferation
of HD, to the expansion of cellular networks and
broadband access, with Intelsat, advanced communications
anywhere in the world are closer, by far.
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