For those interested in such things I found this article by Stewart Sweet rather interesting and indicative of the work the boys and girls in the backroom do to keep stuff working as best as possible when the equipment is 22,500 miles away.  Having been in the TV biz I appreciate how this planning paid off where few know what keeps the pictures coming.

This post is about technology and nothing else.

“The folks at DIRECTV were sure glad to have an extra satellite in the air a few weeks ago when they had some sort of unexplained glitch that caused the DIRECTV10 satellite to stop serving video. They simply lit up DIRECTV14 a little earlier and within hours of the outage, most channels were back up. They were able to accomplish this little feat through remote control and many people weren't even aware there was ever a problem. This says a lot about DIRECTV's planning and the people who do the hard work of getting TV service to you every day.

The DIRECTV14 satellite isn't fully in service yet and DIRECTV is already hard at work preparing for the launch of DIRECTV15, which will bring additional HD and 4K capacity to let the company keep growing. This is all part of a planned expansion that has been going on for two years, ever since DIRECTV lit up a single satellite in the sky over Texas.

DIRECTV15 brings another 30 high power transponders meaning the possibility of another 180 HD channels or possibly 60 4K channels to the mix over and above DIRECTV's current capacity. The DIRECTV14 satellite may end up being used to take some of the stress off some of the older members of the fleet but is still expected to bring the capability for up to 50 more HD channels.

DIRECTV15's launch is scheduled tentatively for June 30, 2015, from the same launch complex in Guiana that recently launched DIRECTV14. Previous DIRECTV launches have come from the historic Baikonur Cosmodrome that launched all the Soviet cosmonauts into space in the 1960s and 1970s, but recently new launch facilities have come around that are less expensive and just as reliable. Baikonur's folks certainly know what they're doing, but the components for a launch need to come in by rail after a long plane ride from their build facilities in the United States, while newer facilities have an easier time getting stuff from the factory.

The launch of a DIRECTV communications satellite, or any communications satellite for that matter, is only the first step in a carefully choreographed dance between the FCC and the operator, where the satellite is slowly eased into a temporary position where broadcast tests can take place. After sufficient testing, it's another slow drift to the satellite's final destination where it can be powered up for its final purpose, providing satellite television service. “

Everything that a satellite does must be carefully planned for a simple reason: fuel is precious. Every pound of fuel costs thousands of dollars to send into space and it's important to send just as much as you need, using it sparingly. Solar panels power the electronics of a satellite receiver, but jet fuel is still used for maneuvering, and when you run out, your satellite quickly becomes useless and a hazard to other satellites in the sky. (Remember Gravity? That's what happens when a satellite gets out of control.)

It seems like a long way off, but we're hopeful that we'll see the benefits of DIRECTV15 by Thanksgiving, when we can all be thankful for more and more content."