Nimiq 5

Nimiq 5

Operator	Telesat Canada
Major contractors	Space Systems/Loral ILS (LSP)
Bus	LS-1300
Mission type	Communications
Launch date	17 September 2009 19:19 GMT
Carrier rocket	Proton-M/Briz-M
Launch site	Baikonur Site 200/39
Mission duration	15 years
Homepage	Telesat - Nimiq Fleet
Mass	4,745 kilograms (10,460 lb)
Orbital elements
Regime	Geostationary
Orbital period	24 hours
Longitude	72.7° West
Transponders
Transponders	32 J band

Nimiq 5 is a Canadian communications satellite, which will be operated by Telesat Canada as part of its Nimiq fleet of satellites. It will be positioned in geostationary orbit at a longitude of 72.7° West of the Greenwich Meridian. EchoStar Corporation will lease the satellite's entire capacity to provide direct-to-home broadcasting for Dish Network Corporation.

Nimiq 5 was built by Space Systems/Loral, and is based on the LS-1300 satellite bus. The contract to build it was announced on 4 January 2007. At launch, it will have a mass of 4,745 kilograms (10,460 lb), and is expected to operate for fifteen years. It carries 32 J band transponders (NATO frequency designation system, US IEEE K_u band).

Nimiq 5 was launched by International Launch Services, using a Proton-M rocket with a Briz-M upper stage, under a contract signed in April 2007. The launch was conducted from Site 200/39 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, at 19:19 GMT on 17 September 2009. The Briz-M separated from the Proton-M nine minutes and forty one seconds into the flight and subsequently made five burns before releasing Nimiq 5 into a geosynchronous transfer orbit nine hours and fifteen minutes after liftoff. It will then raise itself into its final geostationary orbit. It is expected to enter service in early 2010.

See also

• 2009 in spaceflight