Dish Network Satellites - The Engines of Satellite Tv

Being in the first line of satellite tv, the Echostar company has an impressive Dish Network satellite fleet orbiting in space. Embarking on a journey which began in 1995 when the first satellite was launched, the company understood the implications and the responsibilities implied by providing satellite television. Nowadays, the list of satellites up in the sky is much larger.

Echostar I
Launched on the 28th of December 1995, this satellite can be found at 148° W. It is a Lockheed Martin Astro Space Series 7000 (AS-7000) satellite and the launch site was in Xichang Center in Sichuan province, China. It has a weight of 1500 kg.

Echostar II
One year later, the time for launching a second satellite, Echostar II, had come. The launch date was on September 10th, 1996, and its orbital location is the same as its predecessor, at 148° W. Weighting 2885 kg, it is a Lockheed Martin Astro Space Series 7000 (AS-7000) satellite launched from Kourou, in the French Guyana.

Echostar III
It is October the 5th, 1997. The third satellite in the Echostar series is launched from Cape Canaveral. It is somewhat different from its predecessors, a Lockheed Martin Missiles and Space A2100AX satellite with a mass of 4000 kg, occupying the orbital slot at 61.50° W.

Echostar IV
This is, like Echostar III, a Lockheed Martin A2100AX satellite. With a mass of 3478 kg, it was launched on May 8th, 1998 from the Baikonur cosmodrome. It can be found at 77° W. The orbital slot in which it is positioned is controlled by Mexico, and this is why this satellite is meant to serve future DBS Mexican customers.

Echostar V
Launched from Cape Canaveral on September 23rd 1999, the Space Systems/Loral FS-1300 satellite weighting 3200 kg occupies the orbital slot at 129° W. It provides North American subscribers with 150 channels.

Echostar VI
Also launched from Cape Canaveral on July 14th 2000, this satellite was initially parked at 148 deg-W but then moved over to 119 deg-W after the FCC approval. It provides with many audio/video channels direct to home in North America. It is a Space Systems/Loral FS-1300 satellite.

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