DISH Network has recently announced the launch of a brand-new satellite. Dubbed “EchoStar XV,” it will give the company additional capacity to provide more programming for subscribers. With HD programming being the most competitive area for pay-TV providers these days, DISH should solidify their lead in HD offerings when the new satellite becomes operational later this summer.

At 2:40 pm (U.S. Eastern time) EchoStar XV was launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. After about none hours, the satellite was in place in geosynchronous orbit some 22,000 miles above the Earth. The satellite will eventually be placed in orbit at 61.5 degrees West Longitude.

The launch of EchoStar XV demonstrates DISH Network’s continuing commitment to delivering the most high-quality HD programming at the best value," said Tom Cullen, executive vice president. "DISH Network is the only pay-TV provider that offers ‘HD Free For Life’ to every customer, and we’re proud that EchoStar XV will soon allow us to provide even more high definition channels for free."

According to Satellite Today, a brand-new satellite is being prepared for launch that will provide DISH Network with more programming when it becomes operational.

Dubbed “EchoStar 15,” the new satellite was built by Space Systems/Loral and is set to be launched from the Baikonur Space Center in Kazakhstan by International Launch Services. The delivery of the new satellite is ahead of schedule, which should keep it on track for the planned July launch, or perhaps earlier if circumstances allow.

It’s obvious that putting a new satellite into orbit at just the right location is a complex operation, and it’s probably way too early to start celebrating, but if all goes well, it should allow DISH to offer even more HD content and other programming to subscribers.

With the HD wars waging as fiercely as ever these days, the successful deployment of a new satellite may give DISH Network the chance to pull far ahead of their competitors in HD programming.

Up, up and away! The successful launch of a new satellite from Russia’s Baikonur space center means that more channels will soon be coming for DISH Network subscribers.

The satellite officially known as EchoStar 14 was placed in orbit on Sunday morning at 6:36 a.m. Moscow time.

Russian space agency Roscosmos reported that the launch was a success and that their “contract to launch the EchoStar 14 has been concluded.”

The new satellite is equipped to bring more HD programming to DISH Network subscribers in the future, but it may be a while before they become available. There is often extensive testing performed on newly-launched satellites to ensure that they are working properly before they are used to send programming content to DISH Network’s 14 millions or so subscribers.

The satellite, weighing in at around 6 metric tons was the heaviest object yet boosted into orbit by the ILS Proton rocket.

DISH Network Expects the new satellite to boost the company’s HD channel offerings to over 200 channels and they may be available sooner than usual, since the company is anxious to get new HD channels online and cement their lead ahead of their competitors.

They’re calling it EchoStar XIV, but for most DISH Network viewers, it simply means more channels. More specifically, more high-definition channels, which HD junkies like myself cannot seem to get enough of.

The brand-new satellite has been shipped from its manufacturer, Space Systems/Loral, and is on its way to Kazakhstan, where it will boosted into orbit atop a Proton Breeze M rocket. Yeah, I know. What the heck is that? I’ll just assume – safely I believe – that it is a big old rocket that is going to deliver the new satellite to its new home, some 23,000 miles above planet Earth.

The new satellite is being described as “a direct broadcast satellite designed to provide expanded high definition (HD) services and flexibility for DISH Network’s more than 14 million direct-to-home (DTH) television subscribers. The satellite is based on SS/L’s 1300 platform, a decades-proven modular bus with the world’s highest power capability and the flexibility to support a broad range of applications and technology advances.”

Yeah. OK. As long as it means I’ll be getting more HD channels to watch, I’m a happy camper.

I didn’t see any indication of the planned launch date, but I know that DISH Network likes to run various tests on new satellites when they are safely in orbit, so it will probably be a while before we can actually view programming from EchoStar XIV.

While the war of words, and the courtrooms (more on that later) continues between the nation’s two largest satellite TV broadcasters, the smaller of the two, DISH Network has launched 9 new HD channels.

While none of these new channels are particularly exciting to me, it’s good to see that DISH is continuing to roll out new HD channels.

The new channels that have been introduced are Fox Soccer Channel HD, Sportsman HD, Hallmark Channel HD, IndiePlex HD and RetroPlex HD, truTV HD, E! HD, BBC America HD and ShowTime HD. The first five on the list are available only on DISH Network as of this writing.

On second thought, I might actually take a look at the Sportsman HD channel from time-to-time, so I guess I am not completely uninterested in these latest editions to DISH Network’s high definition offerings.

Although it will likely be a while before subscribers see any benefit from it, a new satellite has been launched into orbit that will be used by DISH Network to carry programming.

A Russian Proton rocket blasted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome last week carrying a Canadian Nimiq 5 communications satellite. The new satellite, built by Space Systems/Loral for operator Telesat of Ottawa, will provide 32 Ku-band transponders for use by DISH Network to broadcast programming to North America.

The new satellite is expected to start providing service sometime next month and will orbit the Earth in the 72.7 degrees West longitude position.

The new capacity should allow DISH to offer more programming, including high-definition programming which is one of the primary battlegrounds in the competition between DISH Network and their chief rival, DirecTV. The cable TV companies are also doing their best to retain their share of the market and continue to make improvements to their systems.