News
DIRECTV's HD Satellite Delayed Indefinitely
No timetable is given for rescheduling.
By Swanni
The company, which is conducting the launch, cited "technical problems," but did not offer hints as to when the launch would be rescheduled.
"Sea Launch has put on hold the countdown for the launch of the DIRECTV satellite, as of late Sunday afternoon, to allow the team to study an issue. We will update our launch information as it becomes available," the company said in a statement.
Update: This afternoon, there were reports that the launch could still take place later this week. TVPredictions.com will offer updates as they develop.
Once operational, the new satellite (DIRECTV 11) will expand DIRECTV's capacity to 150 national HD channels and 1,500 local high-def channels.
DIRECTV's current satellite fleet has a capacity of roughly 100 national HD channels.
DIRECTV's delay is the second instance of bad luck for the satellite industry in the last 72 hours. A satellite leased by Dish Network to expand its high-def capacity failed to reach its orbit on Friday. It's unclear if the Dish satellite can be placed in orbit in the future.
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Swanni (Phillip Swann) is
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