ExpressVu broadcasts from three geosynchronous satellites: Nimiq 1, Nimiq 2 and Nimiq 3. All follow an equatorial path, giving coverage to most of North America. "Nimiq" is an Inuit word for "that which unifies", and was chosen from a nationwide naming contest in 1998. The three satellites are owned and operated by Telesat Canada (a BCE corporation), and are based on Lockheed Martin's A2100 model.

Nimiq 1 was launched on May 20, 1999 and contains 32 Ku-band transponders. Nimiq 2, launched in December 29, 2002, also includes 2 K-band transponders. Nimiq 2 provides additional bandwidth for HDTV and interactive television applications.

Nimiq 3 went online on August 23, 2004. Originally called DirecTV3, it is an old DirecTV satellite moved to a new orbital slot to offload some of the transmitting work from Nimiq 1.