Telesat Canada ordered Anik F2, its 10th satellite from Boeing Satellite Systems (BSS), in April 2000. The satellite is a Boeing 702 model. Anik F2 will offer fixed satellite service, including Internet access, and will provide one of the first Ka-band multimedia services across North America.
Anik F2 will operate at the orbital slot of 111.1 degrees West longitude. The satellite will carry Boeing's flight-proven xenon ion propulsion system (XIPS) for all on-orbit maneuvering. Anik F2 is scheduled to be launched in 2004.
The spacecraft will carry 14 reflectors: two dual-gridded reflectors (one each in C-band and Ku-band), four 55-inch transmit reflectors in Ka-band, four 36-inch receive reflectors also in Ka-band, and two 20-inch track reflectors in Ku-band.
Telesat is Canada's national satellite communications company. Anik means "little brother" in the Inuit language. BSS built Telesat's first satellite, Anik A1, in 1972. Two additional Anik A series satellites, all Boeing 333 models, were also built in the early 1970s. Boeing built the Anik C series in the late 1970s and, along with Canada's Spar Aerospace, built the Anik D satellites in the early 1980s. The C and D series were both Boeing 376 model satellites, which were state-of-the-art spacecraft at the time, with about 1 kilowatt of power and 16 to 24 active transponders. The Anik F series was introduced in 1998 and is the first in the Anik line to use the Boeing 702 spacecraft. Anik F1, a Boeing 702 that was launched in 2000, operates with 84 active transponders.
With more than 30 years of engineering and technical experience, Telesat is the world's most experienced commercial satellite operator. The company made history in 1972 with the launch of the first domestic commercial communications satellite in geostationary orbit. Telesat now provides telecommunications and broadcast distribution services in the Americas and is a leading consultant, operator and partner in satellite ventures around the globe. Telesat is a wholly owned subsidiary of BCE Inc., one of the world's premier communications companies.
Boeing Satellite Systems is the world's leading manufacturer of commercial communications satellites and a major provider of space systems, satellites and payloads for national defense, science and environmental applications.
