[10.07.2006] HOT BIRD™ 8 satellite arrives at Baikonur Cosmodrome |
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HOT BIRD™ 8 satellite arrives at Baikonur Cosmodrome 06.07.2006 The HOT BIRDTM 8 broadcasting satellite built by EADS Astrium for Eutelsat Communications (Euronext Paris: ETL) arrived this morning at the Baikonur Cosmodrome for launch on a Proton M Breeze M vehicle provided by ILS. Launch is scheduled in the night of 4 to 5 August. Weighing in on the launchpad at 4.9 tonnes and equipped with 64 Ku-band transponders, HOT BIRD™ 8 will be the largest satellite yet orbited by Eutelsat. Designed for television and radio broadcasting it will be positioned at 13 degrees East, Eutelsat’s prime video neighbourhood, which delivers 950 television channels and 600 radio stations to 110 million cable and satellite homes in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. The satellite’s mission is to replace the 20 transponders on the HOT BIRD™ 3 satellite, which will continue service at a new location. In conjunction with HOT BIRD™ 7A, which was launched in February 2006, it will also contribute to raising in-orbit redundancy at Eutelsat’s HOT BIRD™ neighbourhood. Prime contractor: EADS Astrium Platform: Eurostar 3000 Mission: TV and radio broadcasting Orbital: position 13 degrees East Coverage: Europe, North Africa, Middle East Launcher: Proton M Breeze M Span in-orbit: 39 m with solar panels deployed Launch mass: 4875 kg Life span: > 15 yrs Payload: 64 Ku-band transponders Electric power: 13 kW Downlink frequencies: 10.70 - 12.75 GHz This is ILS' second Proton mission of the year and fourth launch overall for 2006. ILS suspended missions with the Breeze M upper stage after a Feb. 28 launch failed to place the Arabsat 4A satellite into the correct orbit. ILS is ready to return to flight with its Proton M/Breeze M vehicle now that a Russian State Commission and an independent review panel have concluded their inquiries into that failure. 'As we start the launch campaign, we acknowledge the confidence of our long-standing customer Eutelsat in the Proton M/Breeze M vehicle,' said ILS President Mark Albrecht. 'The Proton M launch vehicle has a 100 percent success rate, and the reliability of the Breeze M upper stage remains one of the highest in the industry,' Albrecht said. 'With the arrival of the satellite, all the flight hardware is in place to start operations.' ILS is a joint venture of Lockheed Martin Corp. (NYSE: LMT) and Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center of Russia. Based in McLean, Va., ILS markets commercial launch missions on the Lockheed Martin Atlas and the Khrunichev-built Proton vehicles to satellite operators worldwide. Source: http://rdi-sat.com |