Attachment STA Request

This document pretains to SAT-STA-20181212-00088 for Special Temporal Authority on a Satellite Space Stations filing.

IBFS_SATSTA2018121200088_1589554

December 12, 2018


Ms. Marlene H. Dortch
Secretary
Federal Communications Commission
445 12th Street, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20554

Re:       Request for Extension of Special Temporary Authority to Conduct In-Orbit Testing of the
          Horizons 3e Satellite; Call Sign S2947


Dear Ms. Dortch:

Horizons-3 License LLC (“Intelsat”) herein requests an additional 30 days of Special Temporary
Authority (“STA”)1 previously granted Intelsat to conduct in-orbit testing (“IOT”)2 of the Horizons 3e
satellite (Call Sign S2947) at 164.2º E.L. and to drift the satellite to its permanent location of 169.0°
E.L.3 Horizons 3e was launched on September 25, 2018. The IOT period is expected to last
approximately forty days and the drift to 169.0° E.L. is expected to last approximately ten days.

Horizons 3e IOT payload testing will continue to be performed in the following frequency bands:

      •   3700-4200 MHz, 10850-11700 MHz and 12200-12750 MHz (space-to-Earth); and
      •   5925-6425 MHz, 12920-13250 MHz, and 13750-14500 MHz (Earth-to-space).




1
        Intelsat has filed this STA request, an FCC Form 159, and a $980.00 filing fee electronically
via the International Bureau’s Filing System.

2
      See Policy Branch Information; Actions Taken, Report No. SAT-01352, File No. SAT-STA-
20180905-00066 (Oct. 12, 2018) (Public Notice).
3
       See Policy Branch Information; Actions Taken, Report No. SAT-01313, File No. SAT-MOD-
20170622-00093 (Apr. 27, 2018) (Public Notice). During the drift from 164.2° E.L. to 169.0° E.L.,
only the satellite’s TT&C frequencies will be utilized.


Ms. Marlene Dortch
December 12, 2018
Page 2




Telemetry, Tracking, and Command (“TT&C”) services for Horizons 3e will continue to be
performed in the following center frequencies and frequency bands:

    •   4197.75 MHz, 4198.25 MHz, 4198.75 MHz, and 4199.25 MHz (space-to-Earth); and
    •   5850.0-5853.5 MHz and 6421.5-6425.0 MHz (Earth-to-space).

In support of its extension request, Intelsat submits the following information. During the IOT of
Horizons 3e, Intelsat will continue to operate in the above referenced C- and Ku-bands. Intelsat has
completed coordination with all operational satellites within +/-6 degrees of the IOT location. In
unlikely event that harmful interference occurs, Intelsat will take all necessary steps to eliminate the
interference.

Intelsat has assessed and limited the probability of the space station becoming a source of debris as a
result of collision with large debris or other operational space stations during IOT at 164.2º E.L.
Horizons 3e will not be located at the same orbital location as another satellite or at an orbital location
that has an overlapping station-keeping volume with another satellite. Further, Intelsat is not aware of
any other FCC licensed system, or any other system applied for and under consideration by the FCC,
having an overlapping station-keeping volume with Horizons 3e at 164.2° E.L. In addition, Intelsat is
not aware of any system with an overlapping station-keeping volume with Horizons 3e at 164.2° E.L.
that is the subject of an International Telecommunications Union (“ITU”) filing and that is either in
orbit or progressing towards launch.

Finally, Intelsat requests that the waivers previously granted to Horizons 3e at 169.0° E.L. be
extended to the satellite at 164.2° E.L. In particular, Intelsat requests that the previously-granted
waivers of Sections 25.202(a)(1), 2.106, and Footnote US245 of the U.S. Table of Allocations be
extended to the satellite at 164.2° E.L., for the reasons previously set forth in the license grant.4

The IOT of Horizons 3e’s C- and Ku-band payloads at 164.2º E.L. is a critical step in ensuring that the
satellite will be fully operational at 169.0º E.L. This, in turn, will provide additional capacity to
customers at the 169.0º E.L. location, and thereby promotes the public interest.




4
        See supra n.2.


Ms. Marlene Dortch
December 12, 2018
Page 3




For the reasons set forth herein, Intelsat respectfully requests that the Commission grant this extension
request.

Sincerely,

/s/ Cynthia J. Grady

Cynthia J. Grady
Senior Counsel
Intelsat US LLC


cc: Stephen Duall
    Jay Whaley
    Cindy Spiers



Document Created: 2018-12-12 09:25:13
Document Modified: 2018-12-12 09:25:13

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