What orbital slots does Echostar (Dish Network) currently control?
Dish Network currently has (9) satellites in geo-stationary orbit, 22 300 miles above the Earth. There are also 11 orbital slots that Echostar is authorized to use. 119° W. L. (Echostar 7, Echostar 6) The 119° orbital slot is Dish Network’s CORE DBS location and used to deliver its core programming content including “America’s Top 50”, “America’s Top 100″ as well as digital audio channels, some locals and distant networks. The 119° slot is a full-CONUS location, meaning that it is receivable throughout the entire continental USA using the standard 18” dish. The 119 degree orbital slot was the first to be awarded to Echostar in 1992 after it was licensed by the FCC in 1987. The original satellite parked in this location was Echostar 1, which was launched on December 28, 1995 and began broadcasting on March 4, 1996. In December of 2000,the newly launched Echostar 7 satellite was moved into the primary 119 degree orbital location and Echostar 1 was relocated to the half CONUS 148° locatio
