Ariane launches world’s most powerful communications satellite

KOUROU, French Guiana – Telesat Canada celebrated the successful launch Tuesday of Anik F1 — a Boeing 702 spacecraft that has the distinction of being the world’s most powerful communications satellite.

When it goes into service early in the new year, Telesat’s Anik F1 will expand the frontiers of Canadian television and enable Telesat to serve customers across North and South America.

“The successful launch of this state-of-the-art spacecraft, the first in our sixth generation of geostationary satellites, positions Telesat to compete and win in the highly competitive international satellite marketplace,” said Larry Boisvert, Telesat’s president and CEO. “Anik F1 is crucial for the provision of continuity of service for Canada and new areas, such as the Americas. With Anik F1, Telesat is moving from being a purely domestic service provider to one that serves all of the Americas — from the northern borders of Canada to the southern most tip of South America.”

Anik F1 is the first Telesat satellite since Nimiq, Canada’s first and only Direct Broadcast Satellite, which was launched in May 1999. The new satellite, manufactured by Boeing Satellite Systems, was launched on an Ariane rocket from the European Spaceport Tuesday at 6:56 p.m. EST (2356 GMT) in Kourou, French Guiana. Arianespace provided mission management for the launch, using a team of international specialists. The launch proceeded smoothly, and Telesat received word of the successful separation of the spacecraft approximately 22 minutes later.

Deployment of reflectors and solar arrays is scheduled to occur approximately 15 days after launch. The satellite will then be relocated to its final orbital position following several weeks of in-orbit testing, at which time Telesat will announce the beginning of commercial service aboard Anik F1.

The primary customers on Telesat’s Anik F1 satellite are Star Choice, which will use the satellite to enhance its direct-to-home television service across Canada, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), CHUM Limited and Canadian Satellite Communications Inc. (Cancom), among others.