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The AMERICOM-12 (AMC-12) satellite, formerly known as WORLDSAT-2, of SES AMERICOM, an SES GLOBAL Company, has been delivered to Baikonur, Kazakhstan to prepare the spacecraft for its scheduled Proton/Breeze M launch on February 3, 2005. The Spacebus 4000 spacecraft, the first of this generation platform, was built by Alcatel Space and is being launched by International Launch Services (ILS) for service at the 37.5 degrees West longitude orbital position, pending receipt of appropriate FCC authorizations. The spacecraft was packed along with an array of testing equipment and systems into nine crates weighing more than 85 metric tons and then loaded onto a special purpose Antonov cargo plane. The flight left Nice, France on December 29, 2004 and arrived the following day. The plane's cargo was unloaded and the combined satellite program teams from AMERICOM and Alcatel immediately began a long sequence of pre-launch preparations. These preparations include launch site testing, spacecraft fueling, integrating the satellite into the fairing, mating the fairing with the Proton/Breeze M vehicle, a final set of tests, and roll-out of the rocket to the launch pad. AMC-12 is a high-powered C-band satellite that will operate from 37.5 degrees West. The large, state of the art spacecraft has 72 transponders organized into three regional beams: North America, South America and Europe/MiddleEast/Africa. The satellite's advanced design and high power levels will support a wide range of applications ... from tv broadcasting to high-speed internet connections ... facilitating reception and higher data throughput to smaller C-band antennas. AMC-12's extensive coverage reaches from the U.S. to the eastern reaches of the Mediterranean ... and from Cape Town, South Africa to Lima, Peru. For additional flexibility and reach, the three beams may be interconnected through on-board switching on an individual transponder basis. "I compliment the Alcatel Space team for delivering a very sophisticated spacecraft and for their flexibility as we optimized the satellite's design to reflect the changing dynamics of a very challenging international marketplace," said Andreas Georghiou, senior vice president of business operations, SES AMERICOM. He continued, "The reach and power of this satellite complements the services strategy that was invigorated by our recent acquisition of the teleports and infrastructure of Verestar." Related Links Alcatel Space International Launch Services SpaceDaily Search SpaceDaily Subscribe To SpaceDaily Express 
Deep Impact Probe Set To Launch January 12
Cape Canaveral FL (SPX) Jan 11, 2005Launch and flight teams are in final preparations for the planned Jan. 12, 2005, liftoff from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., of NASA's Deep Impact spacecraft. The mission is designed for a six-month, one-way, 431 million kilometer (268 million mile) voyage. |
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