Intelsat announced the launch of Northrop Grumman-manufactured Galaxy 33 and Galaxy 34, geosynchronous communications satellites, targeting media customers in North America.
“Today’s launch demonstrates Intelsat’s commitment to our media customers,” said Intelsat CEO Dave Wajsgras. “The Intelsat Galaxy fleet is the most reliable and efficient media content distribution system in North America.”
Galaxy 33 separated from the vehicle at 7:38 p.m. EDT, and Intelsat confirmed its signal acquisition at 7:43 p.m. EDT. Galaxy 34 separated from the vehicle at 7:43 p.m. EDT, and Intelsat confirmed its signal acquisition at 8:20 p.m. EDT.
Galaxy 33 will be the replacement satellite at 133 degrees west once it is in service in early November. The satellite will provide service continuity for distribution to cable headends throughout the United States.
Galaxy 34 will replace Galaxy 12 at 129 degrees west once it is in service in late 2022. This satellite will serve as the new restoration payload for Intelsat’s Galaxy cable distribution customers, allowing the previous restoration role at 121 degrees west to be converted to a core cable distribution satellite.
