After
News Corp purchased a controlling interest in
Hughes Electronics, the company sold off its controlling interest in
Hughes Network Systems but retained
Spaceway-1 and
Spaceway-2 for use in the
DirecTV satellite television subsidiary of Hughes Electronics.[10] Boeing retrofitted the first two satellites for
bent pipe Ka-band communications for use in
high-definition television and disabled the regenerative on-board processing of the original system that was to be used for broadband satellite communications.[11]
Despite statements to the contrary in the system's initial filings with the
Federal Communications Commission, none of the three satellites have
inter-satellite links connecting the satellites directly with each other in space.[6]
Spaceway-1 was decommissioned in February 2020 after suffering extensive thermal damage to its batteries in December 2019, forcing the satellite to be moved to a graveyard orbit to prevent the risk of it exploding.[12]
^Pearlstein, Steven (8 December 2004).
"... And Another Thing". The Washington Post.
Archived from the original on 9 November 2012. Retrieved 23 May 2010.
^
ab"Amendment No. 4 to Form S-1". U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. 10 February 2006.
Archived from the original on 22 April 2016. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the
public domain.