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Launch Success
Liftoff Time (GMT)
22:15:15
Friday June 6, 2003
SES Americom's AMC-9 (ordered as GE 12 by GE Americom) was constructed on Alcatel's highly reliable Spacebus-3000B3 platform – over 30 spacecraft based on this platform are in service. The spacecraft features twenty-four 36 MHz C-band transponders and twenty-four 36 MHz Ku-band transponders, providing service into the United States, Mexico, and the Caribbean from a 79º W orbital location. In June 2017, AMC-9 suffered a severe anomaly, which caused the satellite to slowly drift from its position at 83° west and needed the transfer of the customers to other satellites. Several fragments were observed after the anomaly. Communications were reestablished on 1 July. The operator tries to move the satellite to a graveyard orbit.
Geostationary Transfer Orbit
1 Payload
4,100 kilograms
Manufacturer
KhrunichevRocket
Height: 54.54m
Payload to Orbit
LEO: 19,000 kg
GTO: 2,200 kg
Liftoff Thrust
9,548 Kilonewtons
Fairing
Diameter: 4.35m
Height: 13.2m
Stages
4
294th
Mission
2nd
Mission of 2003
24th
Orbital launch attempt