Rainbow 1 -> Echostar 12 Discription

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Rainbow 1 -> Echostar 12

Rainbow 1 [Lockheed Martin]

Rainbow 1 is a high power Ku-band direct broadcasting satellite, which was ordered by Cablevision from Lockheed Martin, using the A2100AXS bus. Cablevision remains very secretive about the details of this satellite. It will provide direct broadcast services across the continental United States (CONUS) from its final orbital location at 61.5° west longitude. The spacecraft features 24 MHz Ku-band high power transponders with a combination of 135 watt and 65 watt power amplifiers. The flexible design of the payload provides full interconnectivity to provide either all CONUS or all spot beam coverage through 22 individually programmable spot beams or a selectable mixture of both spot and CONUS coverage. The design life of the spacecraft is 18 years.
In January 2005 Cablevision agreed to sell the Rainbow 1 satellite to Echostar. In March 2006, the satellite was renamed Echostar 12.


Nation:USA
Type / Application:Communication (Direct Broadcasting)Operator:Cablevision
Contractors:Lockheed Martin Commercial Space Systems
Equipment:36 Ku-Band transponders
Configuration:A2100AXS
Propulsion:LEROS-1C
Lifetime:18 years
Mass:4328 kg
Orbit:GEO