Intelsat S.A. has reported a delay in deploying the west antenna reflector on the Intelsat New Dawn satellite, launched on 22 April 2011. The satellite's solar arrays have been successfully deployed and the satellite has power and otherwise nominal performance.
Orbital Sciences Corporation ("OSC"), the satellite's manufacturer, is responsible for the orbit raising activities of Intelsat New Dawn. OSC indicated to Intelsat that it has executed the procedure to release the west antenna reflector and that telemetry confirms successful release of the reflector. However, other satellite data indicates that the west reflector is not deployed.
Intelsat and OSC are investigating this issue and assessing possible corrective actions. A satellite's antenna reflectors are an essential element of the communications payload; the west reflector controls communication in the C-band frequency.
Deployment of the east Ku-band antenna reflector has been delayed pending resolution of the current situation.
The Intelsat New Dawn satellite is owned by a joint venture between a consortium led by Convergence Partners of South Africa and Intelsat. Intelsat New Dawn is to replace Intelsat's Galaxy 11 satellite at 32.8 degrees East. Galaxy 11 has an estimated useful life through April 2015. Intelsat New Dawn is insured for its launch and in-orbit operations.
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