Intelsat 21, the second Boeing 702 Medium Power (MP) satellite, has begun sending signals from its preliminary transfer orbit in space. Approximately 55 minutes following liftoff at 11:55 p.m. Pacific time on Aug. 18, Boeing's Mission Control Center in El Segundo received initial data from the satellite and confirmed that it was functioning normally.

The satellite, launched aboard a Sea Launch Zenit-3SL rocket from the Pacific Ocean, is the second of four 702MP satellites Boeing is building for satellite services provider Intelsat.

"Intelsat 21 will continue to serve our customers in the thriving media programming sector in Latin America," said Thierry Guillemin, Intelsat senior vice president and chief technical officer. "And with C- and Ku-band services designed to span four continents, it will enhance Intelsat's global mobility network by supporting the connectivity requirements of our maritime and aeronautical customers across the South Atlantic."

Replacing Intelsat 9 at 302 degrees east longitude, the high-powered Intelsat 21 satellite will complete checkout and testing before entering service later this year.

"Boeing drew on the proven heritage of the Boeing 702 product line and a modular-design approach for the 702MP to enable faster delivery at a lower cost," said Craig Cooning, chief executive officer of Boeing Satellite Systems International and vice president and general manager of Boeing Space and Intelligence Systems. "As we fulfill the four-satellite order Intelsat placed with us in 2009, we will continue to deliver a quality product."

Intelsat is the leading provider of satellite services worldwide. For over 45 years, Intelsat has been delivering information and entertainment for many of the world's leading media and network companies, multinational corporations, Internet service providers and governmental agencies. Intelsat's satellite, teleport and fiber infrastructure is unmatched in the industry, setting the standard for transmissions of video, data and voice services.

From the globalization of content and the proliferation of HD, to the expansion of cellular networks and broadband access, with Intelsat, advanced communications anywhere in the world are closer, by far.