AMC-4

AMC-4 or AMERICOM-4, formerly GE-4, is a Dutch, previously American, commercial communications satellite.

AMC-4

Mission type	Communications[1]
Operator	GE Americom (1999–2001) SES Americom (2001–2009) SES World Skies (2009—)
COSPAR ID	1999-060A
SATCAT no.	25954
Website	SES-AMERICOM AMC-4
Mission duration	15 years (design life)[2][3]
Spacecraft properties
Bus	A2100
Manufacturer	Lockheed Martin
Launch mass	3,895 kilograms (8,587 lb)[2]
Start of mission
Launch date	13 November 1999, 22:54 (1999-11-13UTC22:54Z) UTC
Rocket	Ariane 44LP H10-3[2]
Launch site	Kourou ELA-2[1][2]
Contractor	Arianespace
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Geocentric
Regime	Geostationary
Longitude	101° West(0°N 101°W)[3]
Perigee altitude	35,784.8 kilometers (22,235.6 mi)[4]
Apogee altitude	35,803.2 kilometers (22,247.1 mi)[4]
Inclination	0.1 degrees[4]
Period	1,436.1 minutes[4]
Transponders
Band	24 C band 28 Ku band[3]
Frequency	36 MHz 72 MHz (4 Ku-band)
Coverage area	North and South America[3]

AMC-4 was launched in 1999 as GE-4, GE Americom's fourth A2100 hybrid C-band and K_u-band satellite. The C-band payload was home to national television networks broadcasting to thousands of cable television headends. AMC-4's K_u-band transponders served the direct-to-home, VSAT, business television and broadband Internet market segments. These K_u-band transponders are designed to be switchable between North and South American coverages.[3] It was renamed AMC-4 after GE Americom was bought by SES and re-branded SES Americom. In 2009, SES Americom merged with SES New Skies to form SES World Skies. AMC-4 has been replaced by SES-1 in 2010. AMC-4 has been moved to 134.9° W, and currently has no FTA signals.