DirecTV-11
Encyclopedia
DirecTV-11, also known as D11, is a Boeing model 702 satellite
built by the Boeing Satellite Development Center
.
and is co-located with SPACEWAY-2
at or very near 99.225°W.
in November, 2007. Following a launch failure at Sea Launch that resulted in damage to the facility, the expected launch date was changed to March 19, 2008. Launch occurred at 22:47:59 GMT on March 19, 2008 and the spacecraft separated from the carrier rocket 61 minutes later, following a successful ascent.
counterparts of the older MPEG-2
channels DirecTV originally carried in the 70-79 channel range as well as four east coast distant network channels. Since the initial roll out of channels in July, DirecTV has added over 40 more HD channels to DirecTV-11. These channels included converting some part time regional sports networks to full time HD channels as well as new national HD channels like ABC Family
and Comedy Central
, some premium channels, and HD pay-per-view. DirecTV-11 now broadcasts over 50 HD channels, bringing DirecTV's total HD channel count over 130.
Boeing 702
Boeing 702 is a communications satellite design. The Boeing Satellite Development Center tailors the payload of each Boeing 702 to meet customer specifications based on a modular design but with usually more than seventy transponders....
built by the Boeing Satellite Development Center
Boeing Satellite Development Center
The Boeing Satellite Development Center is a major business unit of Boeing Defense, Space & Security. It brought together Boeing satellite operations with that of GM Hughes Electronics' Space and Communications division.-History:...
.
Technology
This satellite is functionally identical to DirecTV-10DirecTV-10
DirecTV-10 is a Boeing model 702 direct broadcast satellite that provides high definition television to DirecTV subscribers in North America. It was launched by International Launch Services on July 7, 2007 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan aboard an Enhanced Proton Breeze-M rocket...
and is co-located with SPACEWAY-2
SPACEWAY-2
Spaceway F2 is part of DirecTV’s constellation of direct broadcast satellites. The satellite was launched via an Arianespace Ariane 5 ECA rocket from Kourou, French Guiana on November 16, 2005. Its operational position is in geosynchronous orbit above the equator at 99.2 degrees west longitude....
at or very near 99.225°W.
Launch data
DirecTV-11 had originally been scheduled for launch by Sea LaunchSea Launch
Sea Launch is a spacecraft launch service that uses a mobile sea platform for equatorial launches of commercial payloads on specialized Zenit 3SL rockets...
in November, 2007. Following a launch failure at Sea Launch that resulted in damage to the facility, the expected launch date was changed to March 19, 2008. Launch occurred at 22:47:59 GMT on March 19, 2008 and the spacecraft separated from the carrier rocket 61 minutes later, following a successful ascent.
Testing
Boeing handed over the DirecTV-11 satellite to DirecTV on Monday, July 21, 2008 according to a press release on the Boeing website. This means that the satellite is "parked" at or extremely close to its final location of 99.225ºW. Customers with High-Definition receivers or High-Definition DVRs can see new satellite readings under the "Satellite Strength" menu on their receiver. The DirecTV-11 will show up as 99(a) or 99(b) for High-Def receivers and 99(c) and 99(s) for High-Definition DVRs.Broadcasting to customers
DirecTV-11 began broadcasting High-Definition channels to customers on July 31, 2008. Those first channels were MPEG-4MPEG-4
MPEG-4 is a method of defining compression of audio and visual digital data. It was introduced in late 1998 and designated a standard for a group of audio and video coding formats and related technology agreed upon by the ISO/IEC Moving Picture Experts Group under the formal standard ISO/IEC...
counterparts of the older MPEG-2
MPEG-2
MPEG-2 is a standard for "the generic coding of moving pictures and associated audio information". It describes a combination of lossy video compression and lossy audio data compression methods which permit storage and transmission of movies using currently available storage media and transmission...
channels DirecTV originally carried in the 70-79 channel range as well as four east coast distant network channels. Since the initial roll out of channels in July, DirecTV has added over 40 more HD channels to DirecTV-11. These channels included converting some part time regional sports networks to full time HD channels as well as new national HD channels like ABC Family
ABC Family
ABC Family, stylized as abc family, is an American television network, owned by ABC Family Worldwide Inc., a subsidiary of the Disney-ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company...
and Comedy Central
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and syndicated....
, some premium channels, and HD pay-per-view. DirecTV-11 now broadcasts over 50 HD channels, bringing DirecTV's total HD channel count over 130.