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TheNimiq satellites are a Canadian fleet ofgeostationary telecommunications satellites owned byTelesat and used by satellite television providers includingBell Satellite TV andEchoStar (Dish Network). 'Nimiq' is anInuit word used for an object or a force which binds things together. A contest in 1998 was held to choose the name of these satellites. The contest drew over 36,000 entries. Sheila Rogers, a physiotherapist from Nepean, Ontario, submitted the winning name.
Nimiq-1 was launched on 21 May 1999 by aProton-K /Blok DM-03 launch vehicle fromBaikonur Cosmodrome inKazakhstan. It was Canada's first direct broadcast digital TV satellite and was paid for byTelesat, a Canadian communications company and subsidiary ofBell Canada Enterprises.[1]
Nimiq 2, launched on 29 December 2002 on aProton Breeze M launch vehicle, includes 32Ku-band transponders. Nimiq 2 provides additional bandwidth forHigh-definition television (HDTV) and interactive television applications. On 20 February 2003, Nimiq-2 experienced a partial power failure and as such can only power 26 of its 32 Ku-band transponders.
Nimiq 2's orbital slot, 123° West longitude, was changed to 91.61° East longitude during June 2019.
Nimiq-3 andNimiq-4i were leased byBell Satellite TV fromDirecTV Inc. when they were already in orbit. Originally calledDirect-TV3 andDirect-TV2 respectively, theseHughes HS-601 models were brought out of retirement and are currently used to share some of the workload fromNimiq-2 andNimiq-1, respectively. They went online in Bell TV's stead in 2004 and 2006.
Nimiq-4i ran out of fuel and was replaced[3] byNimiq-4iR on 28 April 2007.
Nimiq-4 was launched on 19 September 2008, by aProton-M /Briz M rocket fromBaikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.[4] It will replaceNimiq-4i, and will provide advanced services such asHDTV,specialty channels and foreign language programming.
In 2009, Telesat announced plans to build and launch its 19th satellite, Nimiq-5. It selectedInternational Launch Services (ILS) for the launch of the Nimiq-5 satellite in 2009.[5]Space Systems/Loral has been selected as the manufacturer for Nimiq-5.
Dish Network is expected to lease all of the 32Ku-band transponder payload. The satellite will be located at 72.7° West longitude.
The satellite's manufacturing plan also includes contracts with the Canadian satellite industry, including multiplexers and switches fromCom Dev International Ltd. and antennas fromMacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates, Ltd (MDA Ltd).
The Nimiq-5 satellite was shipped from the manufacturer,Space Systems Loral located inPalo Alto, California, to theBaikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, on 18 August 2009.[6]Telesat Canada contracted withInternational Launch Services (ILS) in April 2007 for the launch of Nimiq-5 by an ILSProton-M /Briz-Mlaunch vehicle.[7]
Nimiq-5 was successfully launched into space aboard a Proton M / Breeze M rocket from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 19:19:19UTC on 17 September 2009.[8]
Satellite has been be fully leased for its lifetime byBell Satellite TV which will use it to servicedirect-to-home (DTH) satellite television subscribers across Canada.[9][10][11]
Nimiq-6 was launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome on 17 May 2012.[11][12]
