Launched in 1998 it was operated in geostationary orbit at a longitude of 77 degrees west for 12 years.

The launch of EchoStar IV made use of a Proton rocket flying from Site 81 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan.

The launch took place at 23:45 UTC on May 7, 1998, with the spacecraft entering a geosynchronous transfer orbit.

EchoStar IV carried 32 Ku band transponders to provide direct voice and video communications to small dishes in North America after parking over 119° W or 148° W longitude.

This article about one or more spacecraft of the United States is a stub.