TAMPA, FL— SpaceX launched Intelsat's IS-40e communications satellite April 7, carrying NASA's first hosted payload.
Maxar Technologies, the satellite's builder, said it deployed solar arrays and is receiving and sending messages in geosynchronous transfer orbit after its 12:30 a.m. Eastern launch.
IS-40e's Falcon 9 rocket's first stage booster landed on a drone ship for reuse.
In an interview with SpaceNews, Intelsat senior vice president of space systems Jean-Luc Froeliger said the satellite will utilise onboard chemical propulsion to reach its final orbital position at 91 degrees West over North America in three weeks.
Froeliger added, “This is a big satellite with a lot of connectivity,” and it will likely take three weeks to test all its systems to begin operations by May.
IS-40e carries NASA's Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution (TEMPO) sponsored payload, the first instrument to measure North American air pollution from geostationary orbit.
Government organisations can save money by hosting payloads on commercial satellites and helping the operator cover costs.
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