UPCOMING LAUNCHES
W3B
W3B will be based on the Thales
Alenia Space 4000 platform. Due for launch
in October 2010, it
will initially be located at 16° East.
Designed for an operational lifetime of 15 years, W3B will offer significant flexibility to operate a wide range of services from TV broadcasting to professional data networks and broadband access, in Europe, the Middle East, Central Asia, Africa and the Indian Ocean Islands.
Hosting over 350 TV digital channels in more than 17 languages, 16 degrees East is one of the leading orbital positions for broadcast in Central and Eastern Europe and, via its steerable beam, it is a prime video neighbourhood for the islands in the Indian Ocean.
These markets are experiencing solid growth, in particular in Central and Eastern Europe where cable and satellite reception has grown at a double digit rate over the last four years.
W3B will be replaced by W3C at 16 degrees East and will be relocated at 7 degrees East, where it will be collocated with the W3A satellite.
:: W3B Flyer (PDF 1.3 MB)
:: W3B Predicted Coverage Zones
KA-SAT
Ordered by Eutelsat from EADS Astrium, KA-SAT is scheduled for launch between November 2010 and January 2011. Entirely innovative in design, the satellite will be configured with over 80 spotbeams, with a network of eight ground stations connecting to the Internet backbone.
The KA-SAT programme is to deliver efficient resources for the mass-market delivery of the Tooway™ consumer broadband service, targeted at users across Europe and the Mediterranean Basin located beyond range of ADSL networks. With a throughput of over 70 Gigabits per second, KA-SAT will be capable of serving over one million users who expect bandwidth and prices comparable to ADSL2 performance.
Eutelsat will also drive the development of satellite-based consumer broadband services with triple-play capability, by combining broadband services in the Ka-band, through KA-SAT, with the reception of TV channels in the Ku-band. In order to facilitate the availability of high-performance triple-play equipment at competitive prices, Eutelsat will deploy the KA-SAT satellite to 9° East. This deployment will simplify production of dual-feed antennas transmitting and receiving broadband services in the Ka-band from 9° East, and receiving television in the Ku-band from Eutelsat’s flagship HOT BIRD™ neighbourhood at 13° East.
(See the KA-SAT images)
W3C
Scheduled for launch in third quarter 2011 and equipped with 56 transponders, W3C will be
based on the Spacebus 4000 platform of Thales Alenia Space. It will replace W3B at 16 degrees East, where it will continue to support the development of digital TV in Central and Eastern Europe and French-speaking Indian Ocean Islands, as well as open new resources for data services in Africa. W3B will be collocated at 7 degrees East with W3A, significantly enhancing security from 7 degrees East for clients requesting this service and increasing operational transponders at this neighbourhood by more than 50 per cent.
ATLANTIC BIRD™ 7
Eutelsat Communications has selected Astrium to deliver its new ATLANTIC BIRD™ 7 satellite
for 7 degrees West. Scheduled for launch in 4th quarter 2011, the satellite will be located at a
key neighbourhood for digital broadcasting markets in the Middle East and North Africa, which
Eutelsat operates in close collaboration with the Egyptian satellite operator Nilesat.
W6A
Eutelsat Communications has selected Thales Alenia Space to build W6A, a 40-transponder Ku-band
satellite. W6A will enable a 50% increase in capacity operated at 21.5° East, where it will be located in geostationary orbit. Scheduled for launch in third quarter 2012, the satellite will replace
Eutelsat‘s W6 craft at a core neighbourhood anchored for data, professional video and government services across Europe, North Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia.
W5A
Astrium has been selected by Eutelsat Communications to build a 48-transponder Ku-band satellite that will be located at its 70.5° East location in geostationary orbit. Scheduled for launch in fourth quarter 2012, the satellite will replace the W5 craft and more than double Eutelsat’s resources at 70.5° East. It will be used for a range of professional applications that include government services, broadband access, GSM backhauling and professional video exchanges in Europe, Africa and Central and South-East Asia.
Weighing in at five tonnes, W5A will be based on the Astrium Eurostar E3000 platform with a designed in-orbit lifetime exceeding 15 years. Each of the satellite’s four high-performance fixed beams will be focused over a distinct zone: Europe, Africa, Central Asia and South-East Asia reaching as far as Australia. Through a high degree of on-board connectivity, clients will be able to use the beams either for regional coverage or to interconnect continents. This will support high-growth services that include secure government communications in Central Asia through hubs located in the region or in Europe, business networks between South-East Asia and Africa, and direct connectivity between Europe and Australia.
:: W5A satellite image
EUROBIRD™ 2A
Space Systems/Loral has been selected by Eutelsat Communications and ictQATAR (representing the State of Qatar) to build the high-performance satellite they will jointly own and operate at the 25.5° East location in geostationary orbit. The two organisations selected Space Systems/Loral to deliver a spacecraft with a more than 15-year design life based on the Space Systems/Loral 1300 satellite bus, which is a decades-proven, modular platform with high power capability and flexibility for a broad range of applications.
To enter into service in early 2013, this powerful satellite will provide a significantly expanded mission and superior coverage across the Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia to follow on from Eutelsat’s EUROBIRD™ 2 satellite, which is currently operated at 25.5° East. In addition to securing Ku-band continuity for Eutelsat and additional Ku-band resources for ictQATAR, it will initiate a Ka-band capability to open business opportunities for both parties. The spacecraft’s multi-mission architecture will enable ictQATAR and Eutelsat to respond to demand for the fastest-growing applications in the Middle East and North Africa, including video broadcasting, enterprise communications and government services. The television market will in particular benefit from the installed base of more than 13 million satellite homes already equipped for Direct-to-Home reception from this neighbourhood.
