Axion 3D Atlas/ATLAS.iso/sats/anik.txt

Text File | 1998-01-23 | 2KB | 27 lines

{bigtext=20,85,"Anik E"}

{4}Anik, which in the Inuit language means brother, is the name given to the
Canadian Communications satellites operated by Telesat.  The satellite carries
virtually all of Canada's television broadcast traffic, as well as providing
business customers with a variety of voice, data, and image services.  Telesat's
newest generation of satellites, the Anik E's, offer high levels of performance
for telecommunications traffic, including  television and radio signals, telephone
and data communications.

Anik E1 has national coverage and continental U.S. coverage, and Anik E2 has Eastern
and Western half Canada, national, or continental U.S. coverage. Both satellites
were launched from Kourou, French Guyana, by the European company, Arianespace.
Anik E2 was launched April 4, 1991, and  Anik E1 on September 26, 1991.

With the development of Digital Video Compression (DVC) technology, each transponder
on the Telesat satellites can carry several compressed high-quality video signals where
only one could be carried before, at significant cost savings on space segment to
customers. While the three-axis design is transparent to the user, it offers a considerable
increase in the DC power available to the transponders, resulting in more than double the
Ku-band power of the Anik C.  Other improvements over the earlier generation of
satellites include enhanced Canadian coverage and expanded U.S. coverage capability for
cross-border traffic. In fact, the Anik Es offer  a number of all Canada coverage Ku-band
transponders.  The Anik E series had a 12-year projected mission life at launch.
Communications satellites were the first commercial satellites, private companies maintain
most communications satellites.