AMC-6
title: "AMC-6" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["communications-satellites-in-geostationary-orbit", "satellite-television", "spacecraft-launched-in-2000", "ses-satellites", "satellites-using-the-a2100-bus"] topic_path: "arts/film" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AMC-6" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::data[format=table title="Infobox spaceflight"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | AMC-6 |
| names_list | GE-6 (1997-2001) |
| AMC-6 (2001-present) | |
| Rainbow 2 (2004-present) | |
| image_size | 300px |
| mission_type | Communications |
| operator | GE Americom (2000-2001) |
| SES Americom (2001-2009) | |
| SES World Skies (2009-2011) | |
| SES (2011-present) | |
| COSPAR_ID | 2000-067A |
| SATCAT | 26580 |
| website | AMC-6 website |
| mission_duration | 15 years (planned) |
| (elapsed) | |
| spacecraft | GE-6 |
| spacecraft_bus | A2100AX |
| manufacturer | Lockheed Martin |
| launch_mass | 3909 kg |
| power | |
| launch_date | 21 October 2000, 22:00:00 UTC |
| launch_rocket | Proton-K / DM3 |
| launch_site | Baikonur, Site 81/23 |
| launch_contractor | Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center |
| orbit_reference | Geocentric orbit |
| orbit_regime | Geostationary orbit |
| orbit_longitude | 72° West |
| apsis | gee |
| trans_band | 52 transponders: |
| 24 C-band | |
| 28 Ku-band | |
| trans_frequency | 36 MHz |
| 72 MHz (4 Ku-band) | |
| trans_coverage | North America, Greenland, Latin America |
| programme | SES constellation |
| previous_mission | AMC-5 |
| next_mission | AMC-7 |
| :: |
| name = AMC-6 | names_list = GE-6 (1997-2001) AMC-6 (2001-present) Rainbow 2 (2004-present) | image = | image_caption = | image_size = 300px | mission_type = Communications | operator = GE Americom (2000-2001) SES Americom (2001-2009) SES World Skies (2009-2011) SES (2011-present) | COSPAR_ID = 2000-067A | SATCAT = 26580 | website = AMC-6 website | mission_duration = 15 years (planned) (elapsed) | spacecraft = GE-6 | spacecraft_type = | spacecraft_bus = A2100AX | manufacturer = Lockheed Martin | launch_mass = 3909 kg | dry_mass = | dimensions = | power = | launch_date = 21 October 2000, 22:00:00 UTC | launch_rocket = Proton-K / DM3 | launch_site = Baikonur, Site 81/23 | launch_contractor = Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center | entered_service = | disposal_type = | deactivated = | last_contact = | orbit_reference = Geocentric orbit | orbit_regime = Geostationary orbit | orbit_longitude = 72° West | apsis = gee | trans_band = 52 transponders: 24 C-band 28 Ku-band | trans_frequency = 36 MHz 72 MHz (4 Ku-band) | trans_bandwidth = | trans_capacity = | trans_coverage = North America, Greenland, Latin America | programme = SES constellation | previous_mission = AMC-5 | next_mission = AMC-7
AMC-6, formerly GE-6, is a commercial broadcast communications satellite owned by SES Launched on 21 October 2000, from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, AMC-6 became the fifth hybrid C-band / Ku-band satellite in the GE Americom fleet. The satellite provides coverage to the continental United States, Canada, the Caribbean islands, southern Greenland, and Latin America. Located in a geostationary orbit parallel to the eastern United States coastline, AMC-6 provides service to commercial and government customers, and is used as an Internet platform due to its wide coverage, scale and redundancy. Some of its capabilities include Very-small-aperture terminal (VSAT) networking, satellite news gathering and Ku-band transceiver service. Launched as GE-6, it was renamed AMC-6 when SES took over GE Americom in 2001, forming SES Americom. This merged with SES New Skies in 2009 to form SES World Skies.
Rainbow 2
Rainbow Media announced in November 2004, that it will utilize 16 transponders on the AMC-6 satellite, which VOOM refers to as Rainbow 2.
References
References
- (September 7, 2009). "SES Americom-New Skies Satellite Division Re-Brands as SES World Skies". Reuters}}{{cbignore.
- (September–October 2004). "Satellite Manufacturing Special - The time factor". Satellite Evolution.
- (10 February 2021). "Display: GE 6 2000-067A". NASA.
- Krebs, Gunter. (12 April 2019). "GE 4, 6 / AMC 4, 6 / Rainbow 2". Gunter's Space Page.
- "Satellite Data". SES World Skies.
- "AMC-6 (GE-6)". N2YO.com.
::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::