AMC-3

AMC-3 (formerly GE 3) is a commercial broadcast communications satellite owned by SES World Skies, part of SES S.A. (and formerly GE Americom, then SES Americom). Launched on September 4, 1997, from Cape Canaveral, Florida, AMC-3 is a hybrid C-band/Ku-band satellite. It provides coverage to North and Central Americas, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean. Located in a geostationary orbit parallel to the Yucatán Peninsula and Great Lakes, AMC-3 provides service to commercial and government customers, with programming distribution, satellite news gathering and broadcast internet capabilities.[6][7]

For the ship, see USS Plover (AMc-3).
AMC-3
NamesGE-3, Eagle-1
Mission typeCommunications[1]
OperatorGE Americom (1997-2001)
SES Americom (2001-2009)
SES World Skies (2009—)
COSPAR ID1997-050A
SATCAT no.24936
Mission durationDesigned: 15 years[2]
Elapsed: 22 years, 9 months, 20 days
Spacecraft properties
BusA2100A[3]
ManufacturerLockheed Martin
Launch mass2,845 kg (6,272 lb)[4]
PowerLEROS-1C[4]
Start of mission
Launch dateSeptember 4, 1997, 12:03 (1997-09-04UTC12:03) UTC[1]
RocketAtlas IIAS[4]
Launch siteCape Canaveral LC-36A[4]
ContractorILS
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric
RegimeGeostationary
Longitude72° West
Semi-major axis42,165 km (26,200 mi)
Eccentricity0.000280
Perigee altitude35,782.4 km (22,234.2 mi)
Apogee altitude35,806.1 km (22,248.9 mi)
Inclination0.1°
Period1,436.1 minutes
EpochFebruary 2, 2017, 09:43:43 UTC[5]
Transponders
Band24 C band, 24 Ku band[2]
Frequency36 MHz
Coverage areaNorth America[2]
 

In January 2017, the AMC-3 Ku-band payload was sold to Global Eagle Entertainment (GEE), a provider of satellite-based connectivity and media to mobility markets, such as passenger aircraft. GEE purchased all the capacity on the satellite to support aeronautical customers, in particular Southwest Airlines, the company's largest customer, and rebranded the satellite as Eagle-1. The satellite will remain under the control of SES.[8]

References
  1. "GE 3". National Space Science Data Center. NASA. November 23, 2009. Retrieved December 20, 2009.
  2. "AMC-3 Data". SES World Skies. 2009. Archived from the original on June 4, 2010. Retrieved December 20, 2009.
  3. "AMG 3". Satbeams.com. Retrieved February 2, 2017.
  4. Krebs, Gunter (September 27, 2009). "GE 1, 2, 3 / AMC 1, 2, 3". Skyrocket.de. Retrieved December 20, 2009.
  5. "AMC-3 (GE-3) Satellite details". N2YO.com. Archived from the original on February 2, 2017. Retrieved February 2, 2017.
  6. "AMC-3". SES World Skies. 2009. Archived from the original on June 4, 2010. Retrieved December 20, 2009.
  7. "Turner Expands SNG Transponder Deal With SES AMERICOM" (Press release). Business Wire via Redorbit.com. April 12, 2007. Retrieved December 20, 2009.
  8. Henry, Caleb (January 16, 2017). "Global Eagle's mystery satellite purchase is SES's AMC-3". SpaceNews. Retrieved February 2, 2017.


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