Forum Home
PC World Chat
Thread ID: 69434	2006-06-01 10:06:00	Sky Tvs New satellite	Hitech (9024)	PC World Chat

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
459737	2006-06-01 10:06:00	On june 6th as some of you will no by now sky will be out of service on some channels D1 Optus Satellite D1 and NEW ZEALAND COVERAGE The OPTUS D1 satellite is the replacement for the dying Optus B1 satellite . It is due to be launched and in orbit in July 2006 . Currently on B1 is all the SKY TV (subscription) channels and Television New Zealand’s Free to Air channels plus other TV feeds it rebroadcasts on its spare channel capacity . NZ CanWest on the 7th April 2006 reached a deal to provide Free-To-Air Digital TV . The agreement provides for the state owned BCL to lease satellite space directly with Optus for the new D1 satellite, and then sublease to both Television New Zealand and CanWest MediaWorks (TV3 and C4) . The deal allows for a "cooperative approach in providing the digital service under a single satellite-based standard," the company said . This approach now provides the key for high quality Digital coverage of TV to anywhere in New Zealand via satellite for the free channels of TVNZ and CamWest . Where this leaves Prime which is Skys terestrial free channel is anyones guess . If the uptake is good for this FREE TO AIR service with the public buying decoders, it puts the ball park back into SKYS court for FTA of Racing and PRIME from the same satellite . SKY had better make this decision soon as installers wont be thinking about tuning in SKYS possible FREE TO AIR contributions . The nice thing about D1 is thats it holds the latest technology - 1080 resolution (nearly double that of now (625)) plus wide screen capability for the Plasma and LED flat screens available now . It has triple the capacity of B1 and more power . As for the FREE TO AIR channels, there will be surprises in store for the ability to get more Channel content other than TV One, TV2, TV3, C4, Maori TV, DV (German TV), CCTV8 (Chinese TV in English) . TVNZ will be following the best parts of the BBC digital model of providing extra news content and replays at will . Exciting times ahead with other minority TV organisations piggybacking on this full NZ coverage platform . D1 Launch vehicle Arianespace is the commercial launch services leader, holding more than 50 percent of the international market for satellites launched to geostationary transfer orbit (GTO) . Created in 1980 as the world's first commercial space transportation company, Arianespace has signed contracts for the launch of more than 250 satellite payloads . For further information, see the Arianespace Web site at www . arianespace . com D1 and D2 Specifications At the end of 2003 Orbital was awarded a firm order for two GEO satellites by Sydney, Australia based Optus Networks, Pty . Based on Orbital’s STAR platform, the satellites will provide Ku-band fixed communications and direct television broadcasting services to Australia and New Zealand . The two new satellites, which will initiate Optus’ D-series of satellites, will carry 24 transponders, with 8 back-up channels also available . The first satellite, known as D1, will generate approximately 4 . 8 kilowatts of electrical power . Scheduled launch in mid 2006 . The second satellite, D2, will generate approximately 6 . 4 kilowatts and is scheduled for delivery in 2007 . Customer: Optus Networks, Pty . – Sydney, Australia Mission: Ku-band fixed communications and direct television to Australia and New Zealand Performance: Transponder Power: Stabilization: Launch Mass: Orbit: Mission Life: D1 3800 W zero momentum, 3-axis stabilized 2350 kg 160° E 15 years D2 5000 W zero momentum, 3-axis stabilized 2500 kg 156° E 15 years Status: The D1 satellite is currently in production at Orbital’s Dulles, VA Satellite Manufacturing Facility - April 2006 . OPTUS SATELLITE background info Who owns the Australian OPTUS company? SingTel a Singapore based company acquired Optus, the leading satellite communications provider in Australia with a satellite footprint covering Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and the Pacific . The SingTel Group is the largest satellite operator in the Asia Pacific region (excluding Japan), providing access to more than 38 geo-stationary satellites . SingTel site As the market size for satellite services in Australia and New Zealand experiences strong growth- especially for direct-to-home broadcasting - Optus is preparing to launch their next generation of satellites, intent on securing, and providing for, this expanding number of users . The drivers behind the D-series were two-fold: firstly, there's continuity of service . One of the primary things the D-series satellites will do is replace the existing B-series satellites, with the first of those, B1, due to reach its end of life at the end of 2006, The major differences between the D and B series satellites lie, firstly, in technical performance, but principally in the D series' ability to provide in orbit back up for mission critical services and applications . If you were on the receiving end of loosing a nights viewing on SKY in April 2006 and in May 2005 you would be glad to see some method of providing backup for services in orbit especially knowing that B1 has been operating on its backup system for a year now . The way Optus designed the D-series was to go down the path of choosing two small satellites rather than buying one large one . It gives them the ability to put additional capacity at OPTUS’s hot bird location for Australia, at 156 - that's where the C1 satellite now is . - The D2 satellite, will be co-located with C1 . D2 will have a broadcast services payload, so it operates at a different frequency band, but one which is directly compatible with the existing C1 frequency band . The value of this is for the Australian consumers' is that it just needs to have a wide band receiver, and it can actually receive signals from either D2 or C1 . . with the same installation . The D series satellites give OPTUS the ability to add payload to the 156º orbit location, which is the Australian hot bird location, and at the same time replace B1, which is at 160º, and that's where all the New Zealand dishes are pointing . This will give continuity of service for New Zealand at 160, as well as growth capacity for the Australian market at 156º . OPTUS as well has on D2 a New Zealand back up capability, so in the event that something happened to D1, the Sky NZ , BCL services (TVNZ & CamWest) could be restored immediately on D2 . If you have looked at the new SKY dishes, you will have seen installed dual beam LNB dishes so the consumer's installation actually looks at both 160 and 156 simultaneously . In the unlikely event of the loss of the spacecraft (historically an extremely rare event), the services could be restored in short time . C1's commercial payload is predominantly used for direct-to-home TV broadcasting in Australia (with Foxtel being Optus' largest customer), as well as for providing remote area broadcasting services (RABS) of local ABC, SBS and commercial TV content . C1 was also designed to be able to carry multi-carrier traffic for data and voice applications, as well as having a steerable beam to provide additional coverage over South East Asia and North Asia . The D1 and D2 satellites on the other hand, will cover Australia and New Zealand, being very much designed for these local domestic markets . More info Optus D1 Satellite - Artists impression Orbital’s STAR-2 flight-proven satellite bus, shown here being mated to a launch vehicle . Arianespace’s Ariane- 5 Rocket - see the video launch Optus D1 and D2 satellites from 1am for an upgrade on some channels . It now appears by the following article im about to post that skys new satellite will be next month . I apologise if you find this article to big to read but i cant get it to shrink so as not to take up to much space . Heres the article on skys satellite .	Hitech (9024)
459738	2006-06-01 10:16:00	All very interesting but it won't happen in July. From the Ariane site, their next launch is Aug 2006. Note: Nothing for Optus Next mission Launch Date: August 2006 Launcher version: Ariane 5 ECA Payload(s): Syracuse 3B & JCSAT-10 Customer(s): Alcatel Alenia Space for Syracuse 3B JSAT Corporation for JCSAT-10	PaulD (232)
459739	2006-06-01 10:25:00	If you read the very first sentence it says their that the satellite will be launched in JULY dont forget that their are two optus D1 satellites, so the launch you are thinking of could be the second one. I got this info from google go their and type in optus D1 satellite and scroll down where it says new zealand optus D1.	Hitech (9024)
459740	2006-06-01 10:38:00	I think you mean there will be an Optus D1 and an Optus D2. It would be illogical for them to launch two satellites with the same name. ;)	maccrazy (6741)
459741	2006-06-01 10:41:00	I read the site you went to and the launch you are talking about is for alcatel and for military purposes, skys dish could well have been already sent up their by some other company that launches dishes and its obviously not switched on yet but it will happen.	Hitech (9024)
459742	2006-06-01 10:55:00	Ariane are the company that will be putting the Optus D1 into orbit. The satellite wasn't ready for its original launch slot and the whole process is running late. The Optus D1 hasn't been launched and it won't be on the next rocket in Aug. As I mentioned in your other thread, some people are guessing that a Nov/Dec launch may be possible. PS Most Google results are optimistic Press Releases talking about possible launch dates in the past that never happened.	PaulD (232)
459743	2006-06-01 11:00:00	OPTUS D1 160.0 2005 Ariane 5 + SeaLaunch backup SINGTEL OPTUS PTY. LTD. OPTUS D2 156.0 2007 Soyuz ST (from CSG) + Ariane 5 backup SINGTEL OPTUS PTY. LTD. I found this on a google search and as yet it says their is no launch date set as it says undecided but i think it will be very soon as sky keep saying june or july when i rung yesterday.	Hitech (9024)
459744	2006-06-01 11:12:00	This is when they were first going to launch it its extremely late it must be due to happen soon. Optus D1 has been slated for a late 2005 launch on Ariane 5 from the Spaceport in French Guiana, with the Sea Launch vehicle as a backup under terms of Arianespace's partnership in the Launch Services Alliance. Optus D2 is to be lofted in 2007 by the initial Soyuz launcher operated from the Spaceport, with Ariane 5 serving as the backup.	Hitech (9024)
1