Launch vehicle put payload into geosynchronous transfer orbit with IFR trajectory option. Ariane 44L . The orbital part of the system consists of 3 Hughes-built geosynchronous satellites. Broadcast services began in mid-1994. Competitors include the similar Primestar and USSB services, as well as older C-band satellite services and cable TV companies.
Power is higher in areas with heavy rain.
The high power combined with Reed Solomon error correction coding allow the use of small 18 inch antennas by customers. By 1997 DirecTV had 2.6 million of 5.0 million US direct broadcast television subscribers. Molniya 8K78M . Last update 3 May 2001. Contact Mark Wade with any corrections or comments.