EchoStar VII

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

EchoStar VII is an American geostationary communications satellite used to broadcast high‑definition TV across the United States. It operates from a orbital slot at 119° West and carries 32 Ku‑band transponders. Built by Lockheed Martin Space Systems on the A2100 bus, it weighed about 4,000 kilograms at launch. It was launched on February 21, 2002, from Cape Canaveral using an Atlas IIIB rocket and was initially operated by EchoStar (now DISH Network). It served the U.S. and Puerto Rico.

The satellite was designed for about 12 years of operation, but remained in service longer. End-of-life plans called for boosting it to a disposal orbit at least 300 kilometers above its operational orbit. A license extension in 2012 allowed operations through May 2022, with a disposal plan in place.

In February 2022 a propulsion problem showed the satellite had less fuel than expected, raising questions about reaching the disposal orbit. In May 2022 DISH announced that EchoStar VII had completed end‑of‑life maneuvers and was placed in a disposal orbit about 122 kilometers above its active orbit, short of the planned 300 kilometers. The satellite was deactivated in May 2022.

In October 2023 the FCC fined DISH $150,000 for not deorbiting the satellite as required by its license and mandated improvements in propellant tracking and end‑of‑mission planning across its fleet.