High Power for Atlantic Coverage

PAS-9 was one of three 601HP satellites ordered Oct. 12, 1998, from Hughes Space and Communications Company (HSC) by PanAmSat Corporation. The satellite will provide broadcast and general communications services in C- and Ku-band for the Americas, the Caribbean and western Europe, plus direct-to-home services for Mexico in Ku-band. PAS-9 will replace PAS-5 at 58° West longitude.

The satellite is a Hughes 601HP body-stabilized model, carrying 48 transponders, 24 in C-band and 24 in Ku-band. The contract calls for 15 years of service. PanAmSat made its own arrangements for the launch vehicle.

In October 2000, The Boeing Company acquired three units within Hughes Electronics Corporation: Hughes Space and Communications Company, Hughes Electron Dynamics, and Spectrolab, Inc., in addition to Hughes Electronics' interest in HRL, the company's primary research laboratory. The four are now part of Boeing's newest subsidiary, Boeing Satellite Systems, Inc.

All Boeing 601 spacecraft use the same basic bus design, allowing the company to realize efficiencies gained by production volume, tooling investments and quantity buys. Hughes introduced the 601 in 1987, and it has become the world's best-selling large satellite model, with more than 81 ordered by 2000. The standard 601 model, with silicon solar panels, provides up to 4-5 kilowatts. The 601HP version uses gallium arsenide solar panels and other technological advances to provide as much as 10 kilowatts.

PAS-9 will have 9.9 kilowatts at beginning of life, featuring leading technologies from Hughes Electronics Corporation-now Boeing-subsidiaries. These include Hughes Electron Dynamics' xenon ion propulsion system, XIPS™, which is 10 times more efficient than its chemical counterpart, and Spectrolab Inc.'s dual-junction gallium arsenide solar cells with conversion efficiencies of more than 21 percent.

Stowed (left); In Orbit (right)

The Boeing 601 body is composed of two modules. The first contains the primary structure that carries all launch vehicle loads and contains the propulsion subsystem. The second module is a structure of honeycomb shelves that hold the communications equipment, electronics, battery packs, and isothermal heat pipes. Reflectors, antenna feeds, and solar arrays mount directly to the primary module, and antenna configurations can be placed on three faces of the bus. This modular approach allows work to proceed in parallel, thereby shortening the manufacturing schedule and test time.

PanAmSat, based in Greenwich, Conn., is a leading provider of global video and data broadcasting services via satellite. The company builds, owns and operates networks that deliver entertainment and information to cable television systems, TV broadcast affiliates, direct-to-home TV operators, Internet service providers, telecommunications companies and corporations. PanAmSat has the world's largest commercial geostationary satellite network.

Boeing Satellite Systems is the world's leading manufacturer of commercial geostationary communications satellites. It is also a major supplier of spacecraft for communications and space exploration to the U.S. government, and builds weather satellites for the United States and Japan.

PAS-9 SPECIFICATIONS

PUBLIC RELATIONS
BOEING
P.O. BOX 92919 (S10/S323)
LOS ANGELES, CA 90009
USA
(310) 364-6363