| EchoStar XV | |
| Mission Type: | Communication |
| Operator: | EchoStar |
| Cospar Id: | 2010-034A |
| Satcat: | 36792 |
| Mission Duration: | 15 years planned |
| Spacecraft Bus: | LS-1300 |
| Manufacturer: | Space Systems/Loral |
| Launch Date: | UTC |
| Launch Rocket: | Proton-M/Briz-M |
| Launch Site: | Baikonur 200/39 |
| Orbit Epoch: | 24 December 2013, 03:42:24 UTC[1] |
| Orbit Reference: | Geocentric |
| Orbit Regime: | Geostationary |
| Orbit Periapsis: | 35783km (22,235miles) |
| Orbit Apoapsis: | 35803km (22,247miles) |
| Orbit Inclination: | 0.01 degrees |
| Orbit Period: | 23.93 hours |
| Orbit Longitude: | 61.5° West |
| Apsis: | gee |
| Trans Band: | 32 J band (IEEE Ku band) |
EchoStar XV is an American geostationary communications satellite which is operated by EchoStar. It is positioned in geostationary orbit, and will be located at a longitude of 61.5° West, from where it is intended to provide direct broadcasting of high-definition television services to the continental United States and Puerto Rico for Dish Network.
EchoStar XV was built by Space Systems/Loral, and is based on the LS-1300 satellite bus. It is equipped with 32 J band (IEEE Ku band) transponders,[2] and at launch it had a mass of . It has a design life of fifteen years,; however, it is carrying enough fuel for around twenty years of operations.[3] It has a common configuration with EchoStar XI and EchoStar XVI.[4]
The launch of EchoStar XV was conducted by International Launch Services, using a Proton-M carrier rocket with a Briz-M upper stage. The launch occurred from Site 200/39 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, at 18:40 UTC on 10 July 2010.[5] The launch successfully placed EchoStar XV into a geosynchronous transfer orbit.[6] Following separation from the rocket, it manoeuvred into a geostationary orbit with a perigee of and an apogee of .[7]