# Mexican Satellite System > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Mexican_Satellite_System > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Mexican_Satellite_System.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexican_Satellite_System > Source revision: 1355046875 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) The **Mexican Satellite System**, also known as **MEXSAT**, is a network of three satellites bought by the [Mexican government's](/source/Politics_of_Mexico) Ministry of Communications and Transportation. The three satellites are named Mexsat-1, Mexsat-2, and [Mexsat-3](/source/Mexsat-3). Subsequently, they have also been named Centenario, Morelos III and Bicentenario respectively.[1] Mexsat-1 and Mexsat-2 are twin satellites for mobile communication devices and will operate in the electromagnetic frequencies of the [L](/source/L_band) and [Ku](/source/Ku_band) bands. Mexsat-3 will operate in the range of the extended [C](/source/C_band_(IEEE)) and Ku bands.[2] Together these three satellites will form the whole system, operated by the [Ministry of Communications and Transportation](/source/Secretariat_of_Communications_and_Transportation).[1][3] The system is expected to meet the telecommunications needs of the whole country. Two control centres have been built in [Hermosillo](/source/Hermosillo) from which the new satellites will be operated. They were inaugurated by the then-president [Felipe Calderón](/source/Felipe_Calder%C3%B3n) on 29 November 2012.[1][4] ## History On 20 August 2009, the National Security Program of [Mexico](/source/Mexico) announced the MEXSAT project as a means by which to preserve security in Mexico. It is developed by the Ministry of Communications and Transportation and on 17 December 2010 in [New York City](/source/New_York_City), [United States of America](/source/United_States_of_America), the Federal Government signed a contract for the acquisition of the MEXSAT system by [Boeing Satellite Systems International, Inc](/source/Boeing).[5] On 28 June 2011 a contract is signed with [Arianespace SA](/source/Arianespace_SA), who will provide the launch services for Mexsat-3.[6] On 6 February 2012 a contract is signed with [International Launch Services (ILS)](/source/International_Launch_Services) to provide the launch services for Mexsat-1.[7] In April 2012 the government renames the satellites from Mexsat-1, 2 and 3 to Centenario, Morelos III and Bicentenario. ## Mexsat-1 The first of the three satellites which formed the MEXSAT system was **Centenario** (originally **Mexsat-1**), named to commemorate the centenary of the beginning of the [Mexican Revolution](/source/Mexican_Revolution). It was a [Boeing 702HP](/source/Boeing_702) communications satellite completed in November 2013.[8] It was equipped with an [L band](/source/L_band) reflector and a [Ku band](/source/Ku_band) antenna. It had an estimated lifespan of 15 years. The satellite was launched on an [ILS](/source/International_Launch_Services) [Proton-M](/source/Proton-M) rocket on 16 May 2015. However, 490 seconds after lift-off a technical failure in the third stage of the craft caused the destruction of the satellite, which burned up in the atmosphere and fell into [Siberia](/source/Siberia).[9][10][11] ## Mexsat-2 Main article: [Morelos Satellite System](/source/Morelos_Satellite_System) The second satellite, Morelos III (originally Mexsat-2) was due to be launched in the last quarter of 2014 but was held back. It instead was launched on October 2, 2015, aboard a [United Launch Alliance](/source/United_Launch_Alliance) [Atlas V](/source/Atlas_V).[12] It is identical in design and function to Mexsat-1, in that it is a [Boeing 702HP](/source/Boeing_702) fitted with the same equipment.[8] It was the second satellite in the network to achieve orbit. It is named after a previous Mexican Satellite Network, [Morelos Satellite System](/source/Morelos_Satellite_System). ## Mexsat-3 Main article: [Mexsat-3](/source/Mexsat-3) The third satellite, Bicentenario (originally Mexsat-3), is so named to commemorate the bicentennial of [Mexican Independence](/source/Mexican_War_of_Independence). Instead of being a Boeing 702Hp like its counterparts, Mexsat-3 is instead a [GEOStar-2](/source/STAR-2) manufactured by [Orbital Sciences Corporation](/source/Orbital_Sciences_Corporation). It was launched on 19 December 2012 from a base in [Kourou](/source/Kourou), [French Guiana](/source/French_Guiana), becoming the first satellite in the network to achieve orbit (contrary to its name). ## References 1. ["Nueva flota satelital que garantiza la cobertura de servicios de telecomunicaciones"](http://calderon.presidencia.gob.mx/2012/11/nueva-flota-satelital-que-garantiza-la-cobertura-de-servicios-de-telecomunicaciones/) [New satellite fleet will guarantee the coverage of telecommunications services] (in Spanish). Presidency of the Republic. 29 November 2012. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20130303210154/http://calderon.presidencia.gob.mx/2012/11/nueva-flota-satelital-que-garantiza-la-cobertura-de-servicios-de-telecomunicaciones/) 3 March 2013 at the Wayback Machine. 1. ["Mexican Satellite System"](http://www.unoosa.org/pdf/pres/copuos2011/tech-05.pdf). Secretaría de Comunicaciones y Transportes. 2 June 2011. 1. ["Transcript from the Ministry of Communications and Transportation (Spanish)"](http://www.sct.gob.mx/uploads/media/Transcripcion_JFMH_Diputados-261010_01.doc). Secretaría de Comunicaciones y Transportes. 26 October 2010. 1. ["Calderón "lanza virtualmente" satélite Bicentenario (Spanish)"](http://eleconomista.com.mx/tecnociencia/2012/11/29/calderon-lanza-virtualmente-satelite-bicentenario). El Economista. 29 November 2012. 1. ["Boeing signs deal for Mexican government satellite system"](http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n1012/20mexsat/). Spaceflight Now. 20 December 2010. 1. ["Arianespace to launch Mexican satellite Mexsat-3"](http://www.arianespace.com/news-press-release/2011/9-29-2011-Mexsat3.asp). Arianespace. 29 September 2011. 1. ["ILS announces a new contract for the ILS Proton launch of the Mexsat-1 satellite"](http://www.ilslaunch.com/node/2988). International Launch Services. 9 March 2012. 1. ["Boeing Completes 2nd 702HP Satellite for the Government of Mexico"](http://boeing.mediaroom.com/2014-06-09-Boeing-Completes-2nd-702HP-Satellite-for-the-Government-of-Mexico). Boeing. 9 June 2014. 1. ["Russian Proton-M rocket fails on launch in Kazakhstan"](https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn27551-russian-protonm-rocket-explodes-on-launch-in-kazakhstan.html#.VVtdf_lViko). New Scientist. 19 May 2015. 1. ["ILS Proton-M suffers third stage failure during MexSat-1 launch"](http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2015/05/ils-proton-m-launches-mexsat-1/). NASA Spaceflight. 16 May 2015. 1. ["Russian Proton Rocket Fails During Satellite Launch"](http://www.space.com/29432-russia-proton-rocket-launch-failure.html). *Space.com* 1. ["Launch Schedule"](https://web.archive.org/web/20161224185459/http://spaceflightnow.com/launch-schedule/). Spaceflight Now. 2 September 2015. Archived from [the original](http://spaceflightnow.com/launch-schedule/) on 24 December 2016. --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Mexican Satellite System](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexican_Satellite_System) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexican_Satellite_System?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.