LightSquared launches next-gen satellite
Broadband and satellite network company LightSquared put its SkyTerra 1 satellite into orbit. Launched by International Launch Services (ILS), the Proton Breeze M vehicle lifted off from Kazakhstan’s Baikonur Cosmodrome, followed by spacecraft separation and on-schedule signal acquisition nine hours later.
The satellite, a Boeing 702HP built by Boeing Space and Intelligence Systems, is designed to provide wireless mobile services to millions of subscribers. LightSquared’s SkyTerra 1 satellite features a 22-meter L-band reflector-based antenna — the largest commercial antenna reflector to be put into service. The satellite, among the most powerful commercial satellites ever built, will provide ubiquitous nationwide coverage and enable integrated satellite-terrestrial service using products that are similar to today’s typical mobile devices in terms of size, capabilities and build costs.