Intelsat 901
| Company type | Satellite |
|---|---|
| Industry | Telecommunications |
| Founded | June 9, 2001 |
Area served | Europe, Atlantic Ocean region |
| Products | Ku-band spot beam services, C-band coverage, Satellite News Gathering (SNG) |
Intelsat 901 (IS-901) represents the initial satellite in a series of nine Intelsat spacecraft deployed in June 2001 at the 18° West orbital position. It provides Ku-band spot beam services targeting Europe and offers C-band coverage across the Atlantic Ocean region. The satellite supports a selectable split uplink feature tailored for Satellite News Gathering (SNG), addressing escalating requirements in Direct-to-Home (DTH) broadcasting and Internet connectivity.
Satellite
The launch of Intelsat 901 took place on 9 June 2001 at 06:45 UTC, utilizing an Ariane 4 rocket from the Centre Spatial Guyanais located in French Guiana.
- Enhanced power – Compared to the Intelsat 7 series, Intelsat 901 achieves up to 5 dB greater downlink EIRP and an improvement of 1.8 dB in G/T.
- Augmented capacity – Equipped with over seventy-two C-band transponders, each equivalent to 36 MHz, it substantially increases bandwidth availability at the 18° West orbital slot.
- Expanded coverage – The Ku-band spot beams have been extended to cover a broader range within each designated zone.
Incident involving Russian Olymp-K satellite
In April 2015, the Russian satellite Olymp-K executed maneuvers bringing it within approximately 10 kilometers of both Intelsat 901 and Intelsat 7. This proximity raised significant concerns regarding operational safety and security. Efforts by Intelsat to establish communication with Russian operators were unsuccessful, leading to confidential meetings within the U.S. Department of Defense amid suspicions related to signals intelligence gathering or potential anti-satellite operations.
Mission Extension Vehicle-1 (MEV-1)
Northrop Grumman launched Mission Extension Vehicle-1 (MEV-1) from Baikonur on 9 October 2019 with the objective of docking with Intelsat 901 to prolong its functional lifespan through station-keeping services. Before docking procedures commenced, customers were migrated from Intelsat 901, which was subsequently relocated to a graveyard orbit in December 2019 to clear the orbital slot for Intelsat 37e.
The mechanical capture of Intelsat 901 by MEV-1 occurred on 25 February 2020, utilizing MEV-1's liquid propellant engine as a grapple point. Following comprehensive system validations conducted by Northrop Grumman and Space Systems/Loral, MEV-1 repositioned Intelsat 901 back into geosynchronous orbit at 27.5° West, where it is slated to function for a duration of five years.
On 17 April 2020, Intelsat confirmed that Intelsat 901 recommenced operations on 2 April, substituting for the aging Intelsat 907 satellite. Upon completion of the five-year mission, MEV-1 will transfer Intelsat 901 to a final graveyard orbit before disengaging and moving on to service another customer.
The mission concluded on 9 April 2025 when MEV-1 shifted Intelsat 901 into its final graveyard orbit and undocked. Northrop Grumman plans to proceed with servicing Optus D3 in GEO after fulfilling its contract with Intelsat.
Ku-band specifications
- Number of transponders: Up to 22 Ku-Band units (36 MHz equivalent)
- Polarization: Linear Ku-Band – Horizontal or Vertical
- Uplink frequencies: Ranging from 14.00 to 14.50 GHz
- Downlink frequencies: Between 10.95–11.20 GHz and 11.45–11.70 GHz
- G/T (Ku-Band) (Peak Beam): Spot beams one and two reach up to +9.0 dB/K
- SFD Range (Beam Edge): From -87.0 to -69.0 dBW/m2