EchoStar XXIV

EchoStar XXIV
Mission typeCommunication
OperatorEchoStar Corporation[1]
COSPAR ID2023-108A Edit this at Wikidata
SATCAT no.57479Edit this on Wikidata
Mission duration1 year, 3 months, 20 days (elapsed)
15+ years (planned)
Spacecraft properties
BusSSL 1300
ManufacturerMaxar Technologies
Launch mass9,200 kg (20,300 lb)
Dry mass5,817 kg (12,824 lb)
Start of mission
Launch date29 July 2023, 10:07 (2023-07-29UTC10:07Z) UTC (28 July, 11:07 pm EDT)
RocketFalcon Heavy[2]
Launch siteKennedy, LC-39A
ContractorSpaceX
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric
RegimeGeostationary
Perigee altitude35,788.3 km (22,237.8 mi)[3]
Apogee altitude35,800.4 km (22,245.3 mi)
Inclination2.6°

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).

  1. ^ "Satbeams Jupiter 3". Retrieved 29 May 2023.
  2. ^ "Jupiter 3". Retrieved 29 May 2023.
  3. ^ "JUPITER 3 (ECHOSTAR 24)". Retrieved 29 May 2023.
  4. ^ "EchoStar Home". www.echostar.com. Retrieved 2024-05-28.
  5. ^ "Falcon Heavy | EchoStar 24 (Jupiter 3)". nextspaceflight.com. Retrieved 2024-05-29.
  6. ^ Forrester, Chris (2023-11-17). "EchoStar's Jupiter 3 being tested". Retrieved 2024-05-29.
  7. ^ Rainbow, Jason (2023-08-14). "Connecting the Dots | Jupiter-3 rises on ViaSat-3's fall". SpaceNews. Retrieved 2024-05-28.
  8. ^ Hardesty, Linda (2023-12-19). "Hughes' new Jupiter 3 supports new satellite broadband plans". www.fierce-network.com. Retrieved 2024-05-29.
  9. ^ Sesnic, Trevor (2023-08-05). "EchoStar 24 | Falcon Heavy". Everyday Astronaut. Retrieved 2024-05-29.