PanAmSat Expands Satellite Coverage of United States and Latin America With 22nd Spacecraft
Prime Orbital Slot, Considerable Ku-band Payload and Marquee Customers Make Galaxy IIIC a Powerful Addition to Global Fleet
PanAmSat Corporation today announced that it had
successfully completed the final customer transition to its Galaxy
IIIC satellite, making the spacecraft the 22nd in its global fleet.
Operating at 95 degrees west longitude, Galaxy IIIC will support
some of the world’s video and telecommunications powerhouses for their
operations across North America, South America and the Caribbean. At
the commencement of service, approximately 70 percent of the
transponders on Galaxy IIIC were already under contract with
customers.
“The successful transition of customers on to Galaxy IIIC marks
the completion of our fleet upgrade program over four years at a cost
of over $2.5 billion, which is now behind us, resulting in a satellite
fleet with the greatest average lifespan in the industry. Our primary
focus now is increasing the utilization of our satellites, which are
operating at 70 percent of capacity. By beginning service on Galaxy
IIIC, PanAmSat has done what it set out to do– provide its customers
with one of the most modern, flexible and reliable fleets in the
market,” said Joe Wright, president and chief executive officer of
PanAmSat.
Launched on June 15, 2002, Galaxy IIIC is a Boeing 702-model
satellite containing 24 C-band and 52 Ku-band transponders. Galaxy
IIIC takes over for Galaxy IIIR and Galaxy VIIIi, which will continue
to provide partial services at 95 degrees west longitude. Customers
were transitioned from Galaxy IIIR to Galaxy IIIC including DIRECTV
Latin America. DIRECTV Latin America, which was also transitioned from
Galaxy VIIIi, will use the satellite’s extended Ku-band payload for
distribution of its Direct-To-Home programming. This new satellite is
the latest and most powerful addition to the coveted Galaxy
neighborhood that serves nine of the top 10 cable networks in North
America. In total, PanAmSat’s fleet has an average remaining life of
over nine years and is one of the youngest fleets in the industry.
“On October 29, Galaxy IIIC successfully completed comprehensive
in-orbit testing and entered commercial service with our customers’
signals undergoing a flawless transition from Galaxy IIIR,” said Jim
Frownfelter, executive vice president and chief technology officer of
PanAmSat. “PanAmSat’s accomplished team of technical professionals
established a proactive approach to the spacecraft transition,
coordinating efforts between our customers and our operations team to
efficiently activate service for all parties involved.”
With the largest Ku-band payload of all PanAmSat’s fleet, Galaxy
IIIC has attracted such leading customers as Arch Wireless, DIRECTV
Latin America, Chevron, China Central TV, Hughes Network Systems,
MicroSpace, Radianz, The SPACECONNECTION, Verestar, Inc and ViaSat.
Additionally, Galaxy IIIC joins four other PanAmSat satellites Galaxy
XI, Galaxy XR, Galaxy V and Galaxy IX, as part of the “Power of Five”
antenna program which provides cable operators with simultaneous
access to five Galaxy neighborhood satellites, ensuring continuous
delivery to cable head-ends.
About PanAmSat
PanAmSat Corporation is the premier provider of global video and
data broadcasting services via satellite. Operating a global network
of 22 in-orbit spacecraft, the company reaches 98 percent of the
world’s population through cable television systems, broadcast
affiliates, direct-to-home operators, Internet service providers and
telecommunications companies. PanAmSat is 81 percent owned by HUGHES
Electronics Corporation. For more information, visit the company’s web
site at www.panamsat.com.
About HUGHES
HUGHES is a world-leading provider of digital television
entertainment, broadband services, satellite-based private business
networks, and global video and data broadcasting. HUGHES is a unit of
General Motors Corporation. The earnings of HUGHES are used to
calculate the earnings per share attributable to the General Motors
Class H common stock.
