Satellite launch dates

[heavyobjects]

Please forgive me if I stir up a hornets' nest.

I have read about rumored and 'confirmed' launch dates for DirecTV's new satellites, some even reporting an explosion that set launches back while others discrediting that rumor by saying it was an explosion with nothing to do with DirecTV. FWIW, a lead tech who serviced my dish this week said that the new satellites were already in orbit and that they were undergoing tests at this time.

I'm no expert, but I would imagine that if any significant bandwidth increase was to happen this year, they would pretty much have to be testing the oribter already.

My question is this:

Can someone point me to credible PRIMARY sources of information regarding the satellite launches? Is that information even available or does it come pre-filtered through trade publications?

[heavyobjects]

Checked the D* and Ka sticky thread and it had the Boeing papers on D10 and D11 filed with FCC:

svartifoss2.fcc.gov/servlet/ib.page.FetchAttachment?attachment_key=481412
svartifoss2.fcc.gov/servlet/ib.page.FetchAttachment?attachment_key=-73814
svartifoss2.fcc.gov/servlet/ib.page.FetchAttachment?attachment_key=-73809


As for dates, they were slightly vague (see page 47, 24, 23, respectively). If I read them correctly, the lead tech would be correct (with the possible exception of a delay in D11 launch).

[cavihitts]

Directv is stating that Directv 10 will be launched in June 2007 from Kazakhstan. I know that date has come up before and can always change but that is info from Directv maybe not publicly but it is a statement coming from Directv.

[HDTVsportsfan]

There were two SAT's that went up in 05-ish. Rough dates. Tibber, Harsh, Bonscott, ScoBuck...and/or others will come along w/ exacts.

There were two scheduled for this year. One is pretty much on schedule for May-ish, a land launch. There was an explosion on Sea Launch involvong a non-D* sat. The explosion will most likely delay the 2nd launch to some degree. THere are a few threads hee talikng in depth about this w/ alot more specific info.

[HDTVsportsfan]

Here is one thread.

http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=83301

http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=83233

http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=80635&highlight=sat+launch

Do a search...lots of threads.

[Tom Robertson]

Please forgive me if I stir up a hornets' nest.

I have read about rumored and 'confirmed' launch dates for DirecTV's new satellites, some even reporting an explosion that set launches back while others discrediting that rumor by saying it was an explosion with nothing to do with DirecTV. FWIW, a lead tech who serviced my dish this week said that the new satellites were already in orbit and that they were undergoing tests at this time.

I'm no expert, but I would imagine that if any significant bandwidth increase was to happen this year, they would pretty much have to be testing the oribter already.

My question is this:

Can someone point me to credible PRIMARY sources of information regarding the satellite launches? Is that information even available or does it come pre-filtered through trade publications?

I have searched, googled, poked, prodded, and sniffed the Internet and I absolutely can not find a definitive launch calendar. I heard a good rumor that mid-April was very likely for D10 out of Kazakhstan, but can't corroborate that with any public source yet or more recent info. And this rumor is aging rapidly and things change, as we all know.

SeaLaunch, scheduled for D11 just might be able to launch D11 sometime this year, but that is very unlikely unless somehow DIRECTV can jump up in the launch order as originally published.

The moment I see good, solid info I will post it here at dbstalk (unless its here that I find it) :)

Cheers,
Tom

[heavyobjects]

I have searched, googled, poked, prodded, and sniffed the Internet and I absolutely can not find a definitive launch calendar. I heard a good rumor that mid-April was very likely for D10 out of Kazakhstan, but can't corroborate that with any public source yet or more recent info. And this rumor is aging rapidly and things change, as we all know.

SeaLaunch, scheduled for D11 just might be able to launch D11 sometime this year, but that is very unlikely unless somehow DIRECTV can jump up in the launch order as originally published.

The moment I see good, solid info I will post it here at dbstalk (unless its here that I find it) :)

Cheers,
Tom

Thanks. Your sticky post seems to be the most reliable source of info, being the actual FCC applications themselves. As for the rumors, it's hard to put stock in them if they can't be pointed back to *a* primary source...

Citing the docs from your sticky thread, is it not reasonable to assume (especially since most rumors seem to indicate that D* is "on schedule") that the satellites are already in orbit? Those primary source documents clearly indicate a 100% build in 2006 and launch "as early as late 2006." If those are the only primary sources available, what's keeping this rumor mill turning?

I guess what I may be asking is can we separate "what we know for sure" from "what we think/hear might be true"? Seems to me you already got the former covered (is there more?), and that is, if D* is on schedule, the satellites are already in orbit:

FCC links
D10 FCC LOA request record
D10 details (see pages 7-14)
D10 grant

D11 FCC LOA request record
D11 Appliation details

D10 and D11 milestone documents includes the contract with Boeing for D10/D11/D12 (redacted in the FCC public database)

[Tom Robertson]

Thanks. Your sticky post seems to be the most reliable source of info, being the actual FCC applications themselves. As for the rumors, it's hard to put stock in them if they can't be pointed back to *a* primary source...
Thank you.

Citing the docs from your sticky thread, is it not reasonable to assume (especially since most rumors seem to indicate that D* is "on schedule") that the satellites are already in orbit? Those primary source documents clearly indicate a 100% build in 2006 and launch "as early as late 2006." If those are the only primary sources available, what's keeping this rumor mill turning?:

An actual launch is highly publicized, in fact there is a great person who works for SeaLaunch that will post almost daily if he's working the launch of a D* satellite. (Most likely over at avsforums, btw.) Also, part of the FCC document trail you will see after a launch is the statement of operations letting the FCC know that the satellite has gone operational.

And, when a satellite is moving, you can find the requests to utilize the operations and control frequencies for the duration of the move. For instance, there are plenty of records for the movements of D1, D1R, D5, etc. as DIRECTV moves them in and out of the 72.5 and 101 slots.

So, since none of those has shown up, you can be pretty certain that the two satellites have not launched yet. (The launching companies love to toot their horn on success.)

Most often, when an installer says "they are already up there", they are referring to the two Spaceway satellites that are currently handling the HD locals today. While S1 and S2 where thought to be able to handle some national HD, it seems that in reality they do not work as well as hoped. (Or maybe they can't make HR20s fast enough as it is? ;) )

Cheers,
Tom

[HDTVsportsfan]

Thanks for jumping in w/ the specifics Tibber. Always appreciated. :-)

[heavyobjects]

Indeed, thanks!

[BNUMM]

Please forgive me if I stir up a hornets' nest.

I have read about rumored and 'confirmed' launch dates for DirecTV's new satellites, some even reporting an explosion that set launches back while others discrediting that rumor by saying it was an explosion with nothing to do with DirecTV. FWIW, a lead tech who serviced my dish this week said that the new satellites were already in orbit and that they were undergoing tests at this time.

I'm no expert, but I would imagine that if any significant bandwidth increase was to happen this year, they would pretty much have to be testing the oribter already.

My question is this:

Can someone point me to credible PRIMARY sources of information regarding the satellite launches? Is that information even available or does it come pre-filtered through trade publications?

http://www2.jpl.nasa.gov/calendar/

The above link is a site I visit quite regularly and they seem to update it fairly quickly when things change. It shows most launches at the beginning of the month they are scheduled to launch. It will show with a ? until about 1 month before the launch.

[celticpride]

wow! when i first read this post i thought this guy was gonna get flamed! kudos to you all for your great replies, this is what makes this forum so awesome!!

[Tom Robertson]

http://www2.jpl.nasa.gov/calendar/

The above link is a site I visit quite regularly and they seem to update it fairly quickly when things change. It shows most launches at the beginning of the month they are scheduled to launch. It will show with a ? until about 1 month before the launch.

They are not bad, but they have fallen into the same errors as other sites, particularly concerning D10 and D11. They have since corrected, but it seems everyone uses everyone else as a source, hence there is no definitive source, alas.

Cheers,
Tom

[Tom Robertson]

Hokay, ILS is scheduled to launch Anik F3 on April 10. I think, that is the only launch scheduled before D10. (And was scheduled for March 5 on at least one calendar.) Best I've seen ILS turnaround is about a month, so D10 is very likely to be after May 10. But ILS is bloggin' pretty good, so we should have regular updates.

Cheers,
Tom

[VeniceDre]

Hokay, ILS is scheduled to launch Anik F3 on April 10. I think, that is the only launch scheduled before D10. (And was scheduled for March 5 on at least one calendar.) Best I've seen ILS turnaround is about a month, so D10 is very likely to be after May 10. But ILS is bloggin' pretty good, so we should have regular updates.

Cheers,
Tom

That would be great... I keep hearing late May to early June timeframe for D10... I'd be surprised if D11 got off before Q1 2008 however.

Do we know if Boeing has completed and delivered the sat or do we have a time frame?

[Tom Robertson]

That would be great... I keep hearing late May to early June timeframe for D10... I'd be surprised if D11 got off before Q1 2008 however.

Do we know if Boeing has completed and delivered the sat or do we have a time frame?

Nothing official. I doubt ILS has received D10, they likely would have announced. And Boeing tends to announce delivery as well, but not always.

Cheers,
Tom

[VeniceDre]

Nothing official. I doubt ILS has received D10, they likely would have announced. And Boeing tends to announce delivery as well, but not always.

Cheers,
Tom

I'll be in El Segundo tomorrow where D10 is being built... Maybe I'll walk up and knock on Boeing's door and ask to see it...

:D

[Tom Robertson]

I'll be in El Segundo tomorrow where D10 is being built... Maybe I'll walk up and knock on Boeing's door and ask to see it...

:D

It would really, really neat if they said, "Sorry, but we've shipped it to Kazakhstan for launch." :)

And then as a followup they said, "Would you like to see D11?"

Cheers,
Tom

[VeniceDre]

It would really, really neat if they said, "Sorry, but we've shipped it to Kazakhstan for launch." :)

And then as a followup they said, "Would you like to see D11?"

Cheers,
Tom

Maybe I can get them to let me to sign the sign the sat and put the names of DBStalk forum members on it...

:engel10:

[Tom Robertson]

satellitefinance.com has a date for D10: May 7, 2007 http://www.satellitefinance.com/nodes/SatelliteFinance-this-week/Satellite-Finance-Issue-100/Launch-schedule.html

Bad news, they are still listing D11 for June 7 on SeaLaunch, a date that is almost impossible to believe at this point.

Cheers,
Tom

[Supervolcano]

I'll be in El Segundo tomorrow where D10 is being built... Maybe I'll walk up and knock on Boeing's door and ask to see it...

:D
Just tell them your name is Earl Bonovich.
;)

[cforrest]

satellitefinance.com has a date for D10: May 7, 2007 http://www.satellitefinance.com/nodes/SatelliteFinance-this-week/Satellite-Finance-Issue-100/Launch-schedule.html

Bad news, they are still listing D11 for June 7 on SeaLaunch, a date that is almost impossible to believe at this point.

Cheers,
Tom

Tom,

That link just says May 07, meaning May 2007, no exact date in the month of May. Hopefully it is sometime in May that D10 gets launched, but we shall see.

As for D11, June of 2007 is not going to happen. Sometime this fall or early 2008 is more likely.

Canaan

[Tom Robertson]

Tom,

That link just says May 07, meaning May 2007, no exact date in the month of May. Hopefully it is sometime in May that D10 gets launched, but we shall see.

As for D11, June of 2007 is not going to happen. Sometime this fall or early 2008 is more likely.

Canaan

<slaps forehead> Duh! I mostly don't fall for that one, but sure did tonight. :D

Yeah, I'm watching all the launch calendars for D11 estimates. With SeaLaunch hoping for 2 more this year and 3 being ahead of D11 currently, AFAIK...

Thanks,
Tom