EchoStar I

This article is about the 1990s communications satellite. For the 1960s communications satellites, see Echo 1 and Echo 1A.

EchoStar I was a communications satellite operated by EchoStar. Launched in 1995, it was operated in geostationary orbit at a longitude of 77 degrees west for 12 or 15 years. The company has approved the transfer of the 77 degree west orbital position to QuetzSat as of September 22, 2010. It appears to be retired as of 2023.

EchoStar I

Mission type	Communications
Operator	EchoStar
COSPAR ID	1995-073A
SATCAT no.	23754
Mission duration	12 years
Spacecraft properties
Bus	AS-7000
Manufacturer	Lockheed Martin Astro Space
Launch mass	3,287 kilograms (7,247 lb)
Dimensions	4.08 × 2.22 × 2.54 m (13.4 × 7.3 × 8.3 ft)
Power	5 kW
Start of mission
Launch date	December 28, 1995, 11:50 (1995-12-28UTC11:50Z) UTC
Rocket	Long March 2E EPKM
Launch site	Xichang LC-2
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Geocentric
Regime	Geostationary
Longitude	77° West
Semi-major axis	42,164.0 kilometers (26,199.5 mi)
Perigee altitude	35,780.7 kilometers (22,233.1 mi)
Apogee altitude	35,806.7 kilometers (22,249.3 mi)
Inclination	0.7 degrees
Period	1,436.1 minutes
Epoch	May 14, 2017
Transponders
Band	16 Ku band
Coverage area	Contiguous United States
EIRP	53 dBW

Satellite

The launch of EchoStar made use of a Long March rocket flying from Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan province of the People's Republic of China. The launch took place at 11:50 UTC on December 28, 1995, with the spacecraft entering a geosynchronous transfer orbit. The spacecraft carried 16 Ku band transponders to enable direct broadcast communications and television channels through 0.5-metre (1 ft 8 in) dishes on the ground in the American continents.

Specifications

• Launch mass: 3,287 kilograms (7,247 lb)
• Power source: 2 deployable solar arrays, batteries
• Stabilization: 3-axis
• Propulsion: 2 × LEROS-1B
• Telemetry in the C band: 4.1986 & 4.1996 GHz
• Command: 5.926 & 6.423 GHz

See also

• 1995 in spaceflight