Amos-6
| Mission duration | 15 years[1] |
|---|---|
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Bus | Amos HP |
| Manufacturer | Israel Aerospace Industries |
| Launch mass | 5,300 kilograms (11,700 lb)[2] |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 2016[1] |
| Rocket | Falcon 9 v 1.2 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Geostationary |
| Longitude | 4°West |
| Perigee | 35,785 kilometres (22,236 mi) |
| Apogee | 35,800 kilometres (22,200 mi) |
| Transponders | |
| Band |
36 Ku band 36 Ka band |
| Coverage area |
 Ka-band coverage leased by Facebook and Eutelsat at least until 2021 |
AMOS 6 is a 5-ton Earth communications satellite,[3] one of the Spacecom AMOS series, to be built by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), a defence and aerospace company, with payload components from various sub-contractors including Canada's MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates that is building the communications payload, and Thales Alenia Space ETCA for the electric propulsion. The satellite "will incorporate new technologies that represent a significant leap forward in the capabilities of IAI and the state of Israel in space," according to IAI's president and chief executive, Joseph Weiss.[3]
Amos-6 is said to be costing US$200m of which $105.4 million will be covered by loans from the Export-Import Bank of the United States, and is scheduled for launch in mid of 2016 with a contracted orbital service life of 15 years.[1][3]
In January 2013, Spacecom announced that they had signed a contract with SpaceX for the 2015 launch of the Amos-6 satellite on a Falcon 9 launch vehicle.[1] Amos-6 is intended to replace the Amos-2 satellite, planned to be retired in 2016.[4]
During 2015 Spacecom announced the launch date has slipped to the first quarter of 2016 before postponing the launch to mid-2016.[1]
Amos stands for Affordable Modular Optimized Satellite,[3] and is also an allusion to the Jewish prophet Amos.
Under the deal with Spacecom, state-owned IAI, flagship of Israel's defence industry, will build Amos-6 and its ground control systems, as well as provide operating services.[3] Spacecom has estimated that the cost of launching, insuring and one year's operation of Amos 6 will be $85 million.[5]
In October 2015 social media platform Facebook and satellite fleet operator Eutelsat agreed to pay $95 million over about five years to lease the Ka-band spot-beam broadband capacity — 36 regional spotbeams with a throughput of about 18 Gbit/s — on Amos-6 to provide service for Facebook’s Internet.org and a new Eutelsat subsidiary focusing on African businesses.[1] Costs will be divided in approximately equal shares between Eutelsat and Facebook[6] The parties have agreed to the right to terminate the contract if Amos-6 and the ground gateways in France, Italy and Israel are not ready for service by January 1, 2017. The lease extends to September 2021, with an option for a two-year extension at a reduced rate.[1][6] After a technical analysis including an assessment of customer power requirements Facebook and Eutelsat have concluded that only 18 out of the 36 Ka-band spot beams can be used simultaneously without sacrificing user experience.[6]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Peter B. de Selding (6 October 2015). "Facebook, Eutelsat To Pay Spacecom $95M for Ka-band Lease". Spacenews. Retrieved 10 October 2015.
- ↑ Barbara Opall-Rome (12 October 2015). "IAI Develops Small, Electric-Powered COMSAT". DefenseNews. Retrieved 12 October 2015.
- 1 2 3 4 5 IAI to launch new 5-ton Amos satellite, spacedaily.com, 6 July 2012, accessed 11 July 2012
- ↑ Money, Stewart (2013-01-30). "SpaceX Wins New Commercial Launch Order". Innerspace.net. Retrieved 2013-02-01.
- ↑ Spacecom to build $200m Amos 6 satellite, Aviv Levy, globes.co.il, 24 June 2012, accessed 9 July 2012
- 1 2 3 Peter B. de Selding (9 October 2015). "Facebook-Eutelsat Internet Deal Leaves Industry Awaiting Encore". Spacenews. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
External links
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