Galaxy 18
Encyclopedia
Galaxy 18 is a Space Systems/Loral
(SS/L) 1300-series hybrid communications satellite
owned by Intelsat
and located in geosynchronous orbit
at 123° W longitude
, serving the continental United States
, Alaska
, Hawaii
, Mexico
, and Canada
with 24 C-band, and 24 Ku band
transponders. Galaxy 18 is intended to replace Galaxy 10R
which was nearing the end of its design life.
While this spacecraft is designed for a 15-year service life on orbit, Sea Launch
’s direct insertion into equatorial orbit is expected to yield additional years of fuel life. Galaxy 18 was scheduled to be launched by Sea Launch
on May 8, 2008 but was pushed to May 25. It was subsequently moved up to 21 May. The launch took place successfully at 09:43 GMT.
television channels, including approximately three dozen US local stations operated by Equity Broadcasting. Ku band
DVB-S
programming may be received by compliant FTA receivers
throughout North America
using satellite dish
es as small as one metre.
As of 2008, available free-to-air channels at 123°W include:
Free ethnic programming includes Aaj TV
, Hum TV
, Peace TV
and TV One (Pakistan)
.
All Equity Media-owned stations are programmed from a central hub
in Little Rock, Arkansas
, with the satellite feeds used to deliver the complete signals to the individual station transmitter sites and to cable television
operators. The future status of these stations is unknown, as Equity Media Holdings filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy
on December 8, 2008.
Space Systems/Loral
Space Systems/Loral , of Palo Alto, California, is the wholly owned manufacturing subsidiary of Loral Space & Communications. It was acquired in 1990 for $715 million by Loral Corp. from Ford Motor Company as the Space Systems Division of Ford Aerospace...
(SS/L) 1300-series hybrid communications satellite
Communications satellite
A communications satellite is an artificial satellite stationed in space for the purpose of telecommunications...
owned by Intelsat
Intelsat
Intelsat, Ltd. is a communications satellite services provider.Originally formed as International Telecommunications Satellite Organization , it was—from 1964 to 2001—an intergovernmental consortium owning and managing a constellation of communications satellites providing international broadcast...
and located in geosynchronous orbit
Geosynchronous orbit
A geosynchronous orbit is an orbit around the Earth with an orbital period that matches the Earth's sidereal rotation period...
at 123° W longitude
Longitude
Longitude is a geographic coordinate that specifies the east-west position of a point on the Earth's surface. It is an angular measurement, usually expressed in degrees, minutes and seconds, and denoted by the Greek letter lambda ....
, serving the continental United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
, Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
with 24 C-band, and 24 Ku band
Ku band
The Kμ band is a portion of the electromagnetic spectrum in the microwave range of frequencies. This symbol refers to —in other words, the band directly below the K-band...
transponders. Galaxy 18 is intended to replace Galaxy 10R
Galaxy 10R
Galaxy 10R was an American communications satellite which was operated by PanAmSat, and later Intelsat. It was constructed by Hughes and is based on the HS-601HP satellite bus. Launch occurred on 25 January 2000, at 01:04...
which was nearing the end of its design life.
While this spacecraft is designed for a 15-year service life on orbit, Sea Launch
Sea 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...
’s direct insertion into equatorial orbit is expected to yield additional years of fuel life. Galaxy 18 was scheduled to be launched by Sea Launch
Sea 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...
on May 8, 2008 but was pushed to May 25. It was subsequently moved up to 21 May. The launch took place successfully at 09:43 GMT.
Free-to-air television
Galaxy 18 is the home of many free-to-airFree-to-air
Free-to-air describes television and radio services broadcast in clear form, allowing any person with the appropriate receiving equipment to receive the signal and view or listen to the content without requiring a subscription or one-off fee...
television channels, including approximately three dozen US local stations operated by Equity Broadcasting. Ku band
Ku band
The Kμ band is a portion of the electromagnetic spectrum in the microwave range of frequencies. This symbol refers to —in other words, the band directly below the K-band...
DVB-S
DVB-S
DVB-S is an abbreviation for Digital Video Broadcasting — Satellite; it is the original Digital Video Broadcasting forward error coding and demodulation standard for satellite television and dates from 1994, in its first release, while development lasted from 1993 to 1997...
programming may be received by compliant FTA receivers
FTA Receiver
A free-to-air or FTA Receiver is a satellite television receiver designed to receive unencrypted broadcasts. Modern decoders are typically compliant with the MPEG-2/DVB-S and more recently the MPEG-4/DVB-S2 standard for digital television, while older FTA receivers relied on analog satellite...
throughout North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
using satellite dish
Satellite dish
A satellite dish is a dish-shaped type of parabolic antenna designed to receive microwaves from communications satellites, which transmit data transmissions or broadcasts, such as satellite television.-Principle of operation:...
es as small as one metre.
As of 2008, available free-to-air channels at 123°W include:
- ABC TVAmerican Broadcasting CompanyThe American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
(KATV, KKTU, KTWOKTWO-TVKTWO-TV is the ABC affiliate television station for most of the state of Wyoming. It is licensed to Casper owned by Silverton Broadcasting. The station broadcasts on digital channel 17, which redirects to former analog channel 2 via PSIP...
) - Daystar TV
- Fox TV (KBTZKBTZKBTZ was a full-service television station serving Butte, Montana as a Fox affiliate, broadcasting in analog on UHF channel 24, with no digital allocation. The station was owned by Equity Media Holdings of Little Rock, Arkansas...
, KLMNKLMNKLMN was a television station in Great Falls, Montana, broadcasting locally on channel 26 as an affiliate of Fox. Founded on December 19, 2000, the station was owned by Equity Media Holdings.- History :...
, KMMF, WMQFWMQFWZMQ is a television station licensed to Marquette, Michigan and serving the central portion of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Broadcasting on UHF digital channel 19 from a transmitter in Ishpeming, Michigan, WZMQ is owned by MMMRC, LLC, and has affiliation with Me-TV , MyNetworkTV and This TV and...
) - KWWFKWWFKWWF is licensed to Waterloo, Iowa broadcasting on UHF channel 22. Its transmitter is located near Walker, Iowa.-History:KWWF signed on December 1, 2002, with a format of infomercials, home shopping, and reruns that were in the public domain...
(Ind. - Waterloo, IowaWaterloo, IowaWaterloo is a city in and the county seat of Black Hawk County, Iowa, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census the population decreased by 0.5% to 68,406. Waterloo is part of the Waterloo – Cedar Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area, and is the more populous of the two...
) - Multimedios TelevisionMultimedios TelevisionMultimedios Television is a network of Spanish language television stations found throughout Mexico. The system is part of Grupo Multimedios. The flagship station of Multimedios Television is XHAW-TV located in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon. Programming features locally produced news, sports, children's...
(KMCCKMCCKMCC is a full-power television station in Laughlin, Nevada, broadcasting locally in digital on UHF channel 32 as a VasalloVision affiliate. The station is owned by Cranston II LLC .-History:...
) - My Network TV (KFDFKFDF-CAKFDF-CA is a Class A low power television station in Fort Smith, Arkansas, broadcasting in analog on VHF channel 10 as an affiliate of This TV. The station is owned by Pinnacle Media, and has an analog translator in Fayetteville, KFFS-CA, on UHF channel 36...
, KPBI, KWBF, KWBM, WGMU) - Retro JamsRetro JamsRetro Jams was a music video network that played music videos from the 60s, 70s, 80s, and early 90s. Established in 2007, it was owned and operated by now-defunct Equity Media Holdings...
- RTN Radio
- TelefuturaTeleFuturaTeleFutura is a U.S. Spanish-language broadcast television network owned by Univision with headquarters in Miami, Florida.-Overview:TeleFutura Is America’s #2 Spanish-Language Network in prime time...
(KAMTKAMT-LPKAMT-LP is a low-powered TeleFutura affiliate in Amarillo, Texas. Founded in 2005 and owned by Drewry Communications Group, it broadcasts on UHF channel 50....
, KUTF) - This TVThis TVThis TV is a United States general entertainment television network, with a large emphasis in its programming on movies....
(KCBUKCBUKCBU was a television station in Price, Utah, broadcast locally in analog on channel 3 under the ownership of Equity Media Holdings. Until January 4, 2009 KCBU was an affiliate of the Retro Television Network ....
, KEGS, KKYKKKYK-DTKMYA-DT is a Me-TV affiliated television station in Camden, Arkansas, serving the Little Rock, Arkansas market on digital channel 49. The station also has a digital repeater inside Little Rock, KKYK-CD channel 20....
, KQDKKQDK-CAKQDK-CA, channel 39, is a low-power television station in Aurora, Colorado, serving as a satellite of KQCK. Founded October 30, 1990, the station is currently owned by Fusion Communications...
, KQUPKQUPKQUP is an Daystar Television Network affiliate licensed to Pullman, Washington, serving the Spokane, Washington area. KQUP is owned by the Daystar Television Network.-Station history:...
, KTVC, KWCEKWCE-LPKWCE-LP, channel 27, is a television station in Alexandria, Louisiana. It is owned by Pollack/Belz Broadcasting Company , and is an affiliate of the Retro Television Network....
, WNGS, WPXSWPXSWPXS is an owned and operated affiliate of the Daystar Television Network, broadcasting a digital signal on UHF channel 21, which redirects to former analog channel 13 via PSIP. WPXS is licensed to Mount Vernon, Illinois, which is located in the Paducah, Kentucky/Cape Girardeau,...
) - UnivisiónUnivisionUnivision is a Spanish-language television network in the United States. It has the largest audience of Spanish language television viewers according to Nielsen ratings. Randy Falco, COO, has been in charge of the company since the departure of Univision Communications president and CEO Joe Uva...
(KEYU, KUTHKUTHKUTH-DT is a full-service television station in Provo, Utah, and serves as the Univision station for the Salt Lake City, Utah market. It broadcasts in digital on UHF channel 32. The station is network-owned, but was operated by Equity Media Holdings, with all programming and master control...
, KUWFKUWF-LPKUWF-LP is a television broadcaster in Wichita Falls, Texas, United States. It is a low-powered Univision affiliate. Founded on October 18, 2000 and owned by Drewry Communications Group, it broadcasts on UHF channel 36....
, KXUNKXUN-LPKXUN-LP is one of two Univision affiliates for the Fort Smith-Fayetteville, Arkansas television market. It is licensed in Fort Smith, owned by Pinnacle Media, and operates on UHF channel 43, and now on digital 34.2...
, WNYIWNYIWNYI is a television station in Ithaca, New York, serving the Elmira and Syracuse television markets. The station, now owned by Daystar Television Network, had formerly broadcast on analogue UHF channel 52 before going silent in 2009 as a result of the US digital TV transition.- History :The...
, WUMN) - University of Washington TVUniversity of WashingtonUniversity of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
and the ResearchChannelResearchChannelThe Research Channel was an educational television network based at the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington, and operated by a consortium of leading research and academic institutions who contribute science-related programming to viewers in the United States and in other countries via... - Veterans Affairs Knowledge NetworkVeterans AffairsVeterans Affairs is a term of the business that deals with the relation between a government and its veteran communities, usually administered by the designated government agency. It might refer to:*Department of Veterans' Affairs...
Free ethnic programming includes Aaj TV
AAJ TV
AAJ TV is a 24 hour Pakistani news television channel. Aaj in English means "Today".-Channel and its Programmes:AAJ News was initially started on March 23, 2005 by the Business Recorder Group...
, Hum TV
Hum TV
Hum TV is a 24-hour Pakistani entertainment TV channel based in Karachi. It is the first brand of Eye Television Network Limited, Pakistan. Hum TV began its transmission on January 17, 2005.-Serials:* Manay Na Ye Dil * Akhri Barish...
, Peace TV
Peace TV
Peace TV is a Sunni Islamic satellite television network broadcasting globally 24/7 from Dubai, UAE. Peace TV programs are all in the English language and telecast free-to-air...
and TV One (Pakistan)
TV ONE (Pakistan)
TVOne Global is an general entertainment channel from Pakistan that airs dramas, soaps and lifestyle programs.TVOne Global and sister station News One are part of Air Waves Media, owned by Interflow Communications, one of Pakistan’s leading advertising agencies...
.
All Equity Media-owned stations are programmed from a central hub
Centralcasting
In terrestrial radio and television broadcasting, centralcasting refers to the use of systems automation by which customised signals for broadcast by multiple individual stations may be created at one central facility.- :...
in Little Rock, Arkansas
Little Rock, Arkansas
Little Rock is the capital and the largest city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 699,757 people in the 2010 census...
, with the satellite feeds used to deliver the complete signals to the individual station transmitter sites and to cable television
Cable television
Cable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
operators. The future status of these stations is unknown, as Equity Media Holdings filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy
Bankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal status of an insolvent person or an organisation, that is, one that cannot repay the debts owed to creditors. In most jurisdictions bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor....
on December 8, 2008.