Nimiq-5 is a Canadian communications satellite, operated by Telesat Canada as part of its Nimiq fleet of satellites.[5] It is positioned in geostationary orbit at a longitude of 72.7° West of the Greenwich Meridian.[6] As of July 2015, EchoStar Corporation leases the satellite's entire capacity to provide high-definition television direct-to-home broadcasting for Dish Network Corporation.[6][4] When accessed using a multi-satellite receiver such as the VIP722k and a multi-satellite dish/LNB combo, such as the Dish-300, Dish-500, or Dish-Turbo 1000.4, the satellite is referred to by the on-screen diagnostics as Echostar 72 W.[7]
| Mission type | Communications |
|---|---|
| Operator | Telesat Canada |
| COSPAR ID | 2009-050A |
| SATCAT no. | 35873 |
| Mission duration | 15 years (planned) |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Bus | LS-1300 |
| Manufacturer | Space Systems/Loral |
| Launch mass | 4,745 kg (10,461 lb) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 17 September 2009, 19:19:19 UTC[1] |
| Rocket | Proton-M / Briz-M |
| Launch site | Baikonur, Site 200/39 |
| Contractor | International Launch Services (ILS) |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric orbit[2] |
| Regime | Geostationary orbit |
| Longitude | 72.7° West |
| Transponders | |
| Band | 32 Ku-band[3] |
| Coverage area | North America |
| EIRP | 40.5 - 52.5 (varies by transponder and latitude) [4] |
Spacecraft
Nimiq-5 was built by Space Systems/Loral, and is based on the LS-1300 satellite bus.[8] The contract to build it was announced on 4 January 2007.[9] At launch, it will have a mass of 4,745 kg (10,461 lb),[10] and is expected to operate for fifteen years. It carries 32 Ku-band transponders frequency designation system.[8]
Launch
Nimiq-5 was launched by International Launch Services (ILS), using a Proton-M launch vehicle with a Briz-M upper stage, under a contract signed in April 2007.[11] The launch was conducted from Site 200/39 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, at 19:19:19 UTC 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.[10]
