Mission type | Communication |
---|---|
Operator | EchoStar Corporation[1] |
COSPAR ID | 2023-108A |
SATCAT no. | 57479 |
Mission duration | 1 year, 3 months, 20 days (elapsed) 15+ years (planned) |
Spacecraft properties | |
Bus | SSL 1300 |
Manufacturer | Maxar Technologies |
Launch mass | 9,200 kg (20,300 lb) |
Dry mass | 5,817 kg (12,824 lb) |
Start of mission | |
Launch date | 29 July 2023, 10:07UTC (28 July, 11:07 pm EDT) |
Rocket | Falcon Heavy[2] |
Launch site | Kennedy, LC-39A |
Contractor | SpaceX |
Orbital parameters | |
Reference system | Geocentric |
Regime | Geostationary |
Perigee altitude | 35,788.3 km (22,237.8 mi)[3] |
Apogee altitude | 35,800.4 km (22,245.3 mi) |
Inclination | 2.6° |
EchoStar XXIV, also known as Jupiter 3, is a communications satellite operated by Hughes Network Systems (an EchoStar company). It provides satellite internet service to customers across North and South America at download speeds of up to 100 Mbps.[4]
The satellite was built by Maxar Technologies in Palo Alto, California. When launched, the satellite held the title of the largest commercial communications satellite ever built.[5] It weighs approximately nine tons and is nearly as large as a school bus, when its 14 solar panels are fully deployed, they could span a 10-story building.[6][7][8] The satellite has 500 Gbit/s of throughput.[9]
It was launched on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from Launch Complex 39A at Florida's Kennedy Space Center on 29 July 2023 at 10:07 UTC (11:07 pm EDT on 28 July, local time at the launch site).