| Mission type | Communication[1] |
|---|---|
| Operator | Intelsat |
| COSPAR ID | 2007-016B |
| SATCATno. | 31307 |
| Mission duration | 15 years (design life)[2] |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Bus | Spacebus 3000B3 |
| Manufacturer | Alcatel Alenia Space |
| Launch mass | 4,100 kilograms (9,000 lb)[2] |
| Power | 9.5 kilowatts |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 4 May 2007, 22:29 (2007-05-04UTC22:29Z) UTC |
| Rocket | Ariane 5ECA[2] |
| Launch site | KourouELA-3[1][2] |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Geostationary |
| Longitude | 91° West(0°N91°W / 0°N 91°W /0; -91) |
| Perigee altitude | 35,526 kilometres (22,075 mi)[3] |
| Apogee altitude | 35,815 kilometres (22,254 mi)[3] |
| Inclination | 0.05 degrees[3] |
| Period | 1,430.16 minutes[3] |
| Epoch | 13 May 2007[3] |
| Transponders | |
| Band | 24C band 24Ku band |
| Coverage area | North America |
Galaxy 17 is acommunications satellite owned byIntelsat to be located at91° Westlongitude, serving theNorth American market. Galaxy 17 was intended to replaceSBS6. It was built byAlcatel Alenia Space (which is now Thales Alenia Space), in itsCannes Mandelieu Space Center, France.[4]
Galaxy 17 was launched byArianespace fromKourou,French Guiana on anAriane 5 rocket along withAstra 1L. It became operational at74° Westlongitude in thegeostationary orbit and replaced SBS-6 which was moved out of thegeostationary orbit to a parking orbit in theGraveyard orbit. This took place on July 7, 2007. Galaxy 17 began its move to91° West longitude when Horizons-2 was launched and placed in the74° West longitude slot. Horizons-2 was originally slated to replace SBS-6 but the launch was delayed, possibly due to the delayed repairs of the Sea Launch vessel.
Galaxy 17 is the first primarily European satellite to cover the U.S. Built by a French/Italian manufacturer, it was launched on a French rocket from a French spaceport. Galaxy 17 became operational again in mid July, 2008, when it took over traffic of Galaxy 11. As Galaxy 11 has effectively been replaced, any references to Galaxy 11 can now be considered references to Galaxy 17.
