Orbital AMC-21 - Manual

Communications
Mission Description
Built for SES, the AMC-21 satellite provides Ku-band fixed communications and television distribution
services over the Continental United States (CONUS), Alaska, Hawaii, as well as the Gulf of Mexico,
Caribbean and Central American region. The satellite is located at 125 degrees West Longitude, a new
location for SES, supplementing its fleet of satellites over the United States, Asia and Europe. SES is
part of the SES Global family of satellite operating companies. It has been operating satellites for more
than 30 years over the United States.
The GEOStar ™ Advantage
Orbital’s highly successful Geosynchronous Earth Orbit (GEO) communications satellites are based on
the company’s GEOStar spacecraft platform, which is able to accommodate all types of commercial
communications payloads and is compatible with all major commercial launchers. The company’s
GEOStar product line includes the GEOStar-2 design, which is optimized for smaller satellite missions
that can support up to 5.0 kilowatts of payload power. Orbital has also developed the higher-power
GEOStar-3 spacecraft design, delivering the next increment of payload power for applications between
5.0 and 8.0 kilowatts, allowing Orbital to offer its innovative and reliable satellite design to the
medium-class of communications satellites.
Coverage:
CONUS, Alaska, Hawaii and the
Caribbean
Mission:
Ku-band satellite service
Customer:
SES
(Thales Alenia Space – Prime Contractor)
FACTS AT A GLANCE
AMC-21 in Orbital's Dulles, Virginia satellite
manufacturing facility
AMC-21
Ku-band Commercial Communications Satellite
GEO