Echostar 5 --> Ciel 1

Launch data:

Mission detail:

• Lockheed Martin launched an Atlas 2AS vehicle on Sep 23 carrying the Echostar 5 satellite. The Centaur second stage delivered Echostar 5 to a supersynchronous transfer orbit of 131 x 45526 km x 26.6 deg. This was the first flight to use RL-10 engines since the Delta 3 failure in May. Echostar 5 is a Ku-band satellite supplementing the Dish Network, built by Space Systems/Loral using the FS-1300 bus.
  Echostar 5 and 6 were originally ordered by MCI as Sky 1A and 1B (or MCI 1 and 2).
  In July 2001, Echostar 5 experienced the loss of one of its three momentum wheels. Two momentum wheels are utilized during normal operations and a spare wheel was switched in at the time. A second momentum wheel experienced an anomaly in December 2003 and was switched out resulting in operation of the spacecraft in a modified mode utilizing thrusters to maintain spacecraft pointing. While this operating mode provides adequate performance, it results in an increase in fuel usage and a corresponding reduction of spacecraft life. This operating mode is not expected to reduce the estimated design life of the satellite to less than 12 years.
• During August 2001, one of the thrusters on Echostar 5 experienced an anomalous event resulting in a temporary interruption of service. The satellite was quickly restored to normal operations mode. The satellite is equipped with number of backup thrusters.
• In March 2005, the satellite was leased to Ciel Satellite Communications of Canada and moved to 129°W.
• Echostar 6 suffered a partial thruster failure in 2001, leading to a performance loss