In 2009 satellite operator EchoStar ordered their EchoStar-16 satellite with Space Systems/Loral (SS/L). EchoStar 16 is a Direct Broadcast Service (DBS) satellite built for EchoStar Corporation and will be leased to DISH Network. This next-generation, Ka-Band, high-throughput satellite is located at 61.5° West Longitude and provides capacity for North America. The satellite utilizes SS/L’s flight-proven SSL-1300 spacecraft bus.

The satellite was launched on November 20^th, 2012, on a Proton M rocket, operated by launch operator ILS from the Baikonour Cosmodrome launch site in Kazachstan.