Ariane Launches New Telecommunications Satellite
On Wednesday, TerreStar-1, the world’s largest commercial telecommunications satellite, was set into orbit by the Ariane 5 rocket.
The satellite, which weighs nearly seven tons, was built for TerreStar Networks and will provide voice, messaging, and data connections through North America.
TerreStar-1 was so large that the Ariane rocket, which routinely carries double payloads, was unable to carry any other cargo. The launch was the third mission for Ariane this year, with four more already scheduled.
The satellite, which was built by Space Systems/Loral, features an 18m long reflector antenna that will be installed within the next few weeks. The procedure will take an estimated four hours.
The seven ton commercial satellite is the showpiece of an integrated terrestrial and space service where customers will use smart phone-sized devices instead of the bulky units normally associated with satellite comms.
"It’s the first full-mode terrestrial/satellite handset," said TerreStar President Jeff Epstein.
"It’s about the size of a Blackberry ‘Curve’. It’s very small; everything is internal: there are no external antennas.”
"It will work on a terrestrial network as a normal cell phone would, and when you’re out of range or the network is down for whatever reason, it will go to the satellite. The whole premise of our business model is that to get wide adoption, you need a handset that is useable, not something that is huge," he told BBC News.
The company expects its first round of customers to be governments, emergency responders, and commercial users.
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