The AMC-16 telecommunications satellite, which was designed and built by Lockheed Martin for SES AMERICOM, was successfully launched aboard a Lockheed Martin-built Atlas V rocket provided by International Launch Services (ILS).
AMC-16, a hybrid satellite featuring the second operating Ka-band payload in the SES AMERICOM fleet, with 12 spot-beams and 24-36Mhz transponders of Ku-band capacity for both fixed satellite service or direct broadcast service. The Ka-band beams will be deployed in a pattern to take advantage of frequency re-use while eliminating interference between and among the beams.
SES AMERICOM has an agreement with EchoStar Communications Corporation, a leading U.S. satellite TV provider, to use both payloads on AMC-16.
AMC-16 is the fourth Lockheed Martin-built satellite ILS has launched in 2004 to expand SES AMERICOM’s fleet of satellites, which provide global distribution of cable, broadcast television and radio programming, mobile communications, business television, broadband data and telecommunications services.
AMC-15, which features the first Ka-band operating payload in the SES AMERICOM fleet, was successfully launched in October aboard an ILS Proton vehicle from Baikonur, Kazakhstan in October. http://lmms.external.lmco.com/
