Satellites
There are 16 operational Astra satellites, the majority in five orbital locations - Astra 19.2°E, Astra 28.2°E, Astra 23.5°E, Astra 5°E, Astra 31.5°E. Astra's principle of "co-location" (several satellites are maintained close to each other, all within a cube with a size of 150 km) increases flexibility and redundancy.
| Satellite | Launch Date | Manufacturer | Model | Launch vehicle | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ASTRA 19.2°E | Received in 44.3 million DTH satellite households | ||||
| 1H | June 18, 1999 | Hughes | HS-601HP | Proton | As of July 2012: in position at 19.2°E but inactive |
| 1KR | 20 April 2006 | Lockheed Martin | A2100 | Atlas V (411) | Launched after the failure of Astra 1K. |
| 1L | May 4, 2007 | Lockheed Martin | A2100 | Ariane 5 ECA | Replacement for 1E/2C; Ku and Ka bands |
| 1M | Nov 6, 2008 | EADS Astrium | Eurostar E3000 | Proton-M | Replacement for 1G and backup at 19.2°E. Started commercial service 20 January 2009 |
| 2C | June 16, 2001 | Hughes | HS-601HP | Proton | Initially deployed at 19.2°E pending launch of 1L, then moved to originally intended position of 28.2°E. Moved to 31.5°E (May 2009) to temporarily replace the failed Astra 5A. Moved back to 19.2°E (September 2010) to temporarily provide capacity until Astra 1N is moved there from 28.2°E. |
| ASTRA 28.2°E | Received in 12.8 million DTH satellite households | ||||
| 2A | August 30, 1998 | Hughes | HS-601HP | Proton | |
| 2B | September 14, 2000 | Astrium | Eurostar E2000+ | Ariane 5G | |
| 2D | December 19, 2000 | Hughes | HS-376HP | Ariane 5G | As of September 2012: in position at 28.2°E but inactive |
| 1N | August 6, 2011 | EADS Astrium | Eurostar E3000 | Ariane 5 ECA | Started commercial service October 24, 2011 |
| 2F | September 28, 2012 | EADS Astrium | Eurostar E3000 | Ariane 5 ECA | Rolling capacity replacement at 28.2°E and provision of Ku-band DTH in West Africa and Ka-band in western EuropeCurrently awaiting positioning at 28.2°E and pre-service testing |
| ASTRA 23.5°E | Received in 2.6 million DTH satellite households | ||||
| 3A | March 29, 2002 | Boeing | HS-376HP | Ariane 4L | Currently unused and in inclined orbit at 23.7°E |
| 3B | May 21, 2010 | EADS Astrium | Eurostar E3000 | Ariane 5 ECA | Launch delayed for nearly two months due to launcher problems. |
| ASTRA 5°E | Received in 4.5 million DTH satellite households | ||||
| 4A | November 18, 2007 | Lockheed Martin | A2100AX | Proton-M | Originally called Sirius 4 |
| 1E | October 19, 1995 | Hughes | HS-601 | Ariane 42L | Originally at 19.2°E. Used at 23.5°E pending launch of Astra 3B. Moved to 5°E September 2010 |
| SES-5 (4B) | July 10, 2012 | Space Systems/Loral | LS-1300 | Proton-M | Originally Sirius 5, renamed to Astra 4B in 2010 and to SES-5 in 2011. Provides global C-band capacity and Ku-band for Sub-Saharan Africa and Nordic regions. |
| ASTRA 31.5°E | Received in 1.3 million DTH satellite households | ||||
| 1G | December 2, 1997 | Hughes | HS-601HP | Proton-K | Power problems, now max 20 transponders. Moved from 19.2°E to 23.5°E February 2009 following launch of Astra 1M. Then to 31.5°E (July 2010) following launch of Astra 3B. |
| OCCASIONAL USE | |||||
| 1C | May 12, 1993 | Hughes | HS-601 | Ariane 42L | Originally at 19.2°E. Used at 5°E. Now at 2.0°E for occasional traffic. Inclined orbit |
| 1D | November 1, 1994 | Hughes | HS-601 | Ariane 42P | Originally at 19.2°E. Used at 28.2°E, 23.5°E, 31.5°E and 1.8°E. Now at 23.5°E in inclined orbit |
| NO LONGER IN OPERATION | |||||
| 1A | December 11, 1988 | GE AstroSpace | GE-4000 | Ariane 44LP | The first Astra satellite. Now retired in graveyard orbit. |
| 1B | March 2, 1991 | GE AstroSpace | GE-5000 | Ariane 44LP | Acquired from GE Americom (Satcom K3). Now retired in graveyard orbit. |
| 1F | April 8, 1996 | Hughes | HS-601 | Proton-K | Moved in August 2009 to 51°E for SES World Skies. Not currently in regular use |
| 1K | November 26, 2002 | Alcatel Space | Spacebus 3000B3S | Proton | Launched to 19.2°E but failed to reach geostationary orbit, and intentionally de-orbited on December 10, 2002. |
| 5A | November 12, 1997 | Alcatel Space | Spacebus 3000 B2 | Ariane 44L | Formerly known as Sirius 2. Moved to 31.5°E and renamed Astra 5A on April 29, 2008. Failed in-orbit January 16, 2009 |
| NOW IN CONSTRUCTION | |||||
| 2E | Due Q2 2013 | EADS Astrium | Eurostar E3000 | Ariane 5 ECA | Rolling capacity replacement at 28.2°E |
| 5B | Due Q2 2013 | EADS Astrium | Eurostar E3000 | Ariane 5 ECA | To add new capacity and replace existing craft at 31.5°E |
| 2G | Due Q1 2014 | EADS Astrium | Eurostar E3000 | Rolling capacity replacement at 28.2°E | |
Read more about this topic: Astra (satellite)
Famous quotes containing the word satellites:
“To the Japanese, Portugal and Russia are neutral enemies, England and America are belligerent enemies, and Germany and her satellites are friendly enemies. They draw very fine distinctions.”
—Jerome Cady, U.S. screenwriter, and Lewis Milestone. Peter Voroshevski (Howard Clinton?)