SKYTERRA 1

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SKYTERRA 1 is classified as:

Geostationary

NORAD ID: 37218

Int'l Code: 2010-061A

Perigee: 35,773.0 km

Apogee: 35,814.9 km

Inclination: 2.5 °

Period: 1,436.1 minutes

Semi major axis: 42164 km

RCS: 0.003 m² (small)

Launch date: November 14, 2010
Source: United States (US)
Launch site: TYURATAM MISSILE AND SPACE COMPLEX (TTMTR)

SKYTERRA 1 is designed to beam broadband messages to smart phones from more than 22,000 miles (35,400 km) in space. The satellite will join traditional terrestrial cell networks to shape a fourth-generation, or 4G, wireless system designed to reach nearly every American by the end of 2016. The ambitious plan is a project of LightSquared, a Virginia-based firm with $2.9 billion in fresh financing from Harbinger Capital Partners of New York. LightSquared, which recently changed its name from SkyTerra, also claims another $1.75 billion in equity financing from other sources. The satellite will ultimately be positioned in geosynchronous orbit 22,300 miles (35,900 km) above the equator at 101.3 degrees west longitude, in view of potential customers in the United States, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. The spacecraft is designed to work for at least 15 years.