ZombieSat

The 19m uplink to AMC-11 being use to try an eliminate Gal-15 interference with our associate Joe Herman, the site’s custodian.

Updated July 2010 - Galaxy 15 is an out-of-control satellite and was threatening to interrupt AMC-11, a major cable TV providing reception in the U.S.  Cable companies scrambled to figure out what to do if the so-called "zombiesat" crosses into the orbital box of AMC-11 2 degrees to the East.

The communications company Intelsat lost the ability to steer its Galaxy 15 satellite remotely in April - likely due to a solar storm. Now, it cannot get the satellite to return to its assigned orbit 22,300 miles above the Earth. Engineers say Galaxy 15 is drifting into the path of neighboring satellite AMC 11, owned by rival SES World Skies.

Both satellites receive and transmit programming to North American cable providers on the same bandwidth, which is where the problem lies. Unlike other satellites that go into complete shutdown when their navigation systems malfunction, Galaxy 15 is still receiving and transmitting signals. A SES spokesperson says that because the satellites operate on the same frequency, "there is likely to be some kind of [signal] interference." The two satellites are set to start crossing paths around May 23 and ending two weeks later, according to the current projections. The possibility of the two colliding is very remote.

SES World Skies engineers working with Intelsat engineers moved all programming to a 19 meter dish at Clarksburg Teleport and then spent two years of satellite fuel to position the AMC-11 on the opposite side of the satellite box from Gal-15.  This all started on May 23rd and into early June. Even though it was a costly maneuver the results were successful and virtually no earth stations were affected by Gal-15 interference.

Now that Gal-15 has passed through the AMC-11 satellite box, the next encounter will be with Intelsat’s own Gal-13 around July 13th.  On July 30th it will reach Gal-14 and in mid-August Gal-18. Eventually it will reach the satellite wasteland at 105 degrees West where satellites go to die. There are two parking lots for satellites one at 105degrees West and one at 75 degrees East.  The current estimates put 160 zombiesats parked at these two locations.

GWRC has been working with Cox Communications at their Satellite facility in Henderson, NV. This facility provides the Cable Programming to the entire Las Vegas Valley. It was installed by GWRC in 2008 and they have been maintaining the eleven (11) 4.5 meter multi-feed receive dishes and electronics.  The team will be preparing for the pending interference caused by Galaxy 15 as it moves across the arc from one satellite position to another.

GWRC is also providing to other cable companies the use of their two 5 meter Multi-Beam transportable downlinks to access the alternate backup satellites that are being provided by SES World Skies and Intelsat.