Astra 1M is a geostationary communications satellite which is operated by SES. It is positioned in geostationary orbit at a longitude of 19.2° East, from where it is used to provide direct to home (DTH) broadcasting to Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.

Astra 1M
Mission typeCommunications
OperatorSES
COSPAR ID2008-057A Edit this at Wikidata
SATCAT no.33436
Websitehttps://www.ses.com
Mission duration15 years (planned)
16 years, 7 days (elapsed)
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft typeEurostar
BusEurostar 3000S
ManufacturerAstrium
(now Airbus Defence and Space)
Launch mass5,320 kg (11,730 lb)
Power10 kW
Start of mission
Launch date5 November 2008, 20:44:20 UTC
RocketProton-M / Briz-M
Launch siteBaikonur, Site 200/39
ContractorKhrunichev State Research and Production Space Center
Entered serviceJanuary 2009
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric orbit
RegimeGeostationary orbit
Longitude19.2° East
Transponders
Band36 Ku-band
Bandwidth26 MHz
33 MHz
Coverage areaEurope, Africa, Middle East

Satellite description

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Astra 1M was built by Astrium (now Airbus Defence and Space) under a contract signed in July 2005, and is based on the Eurostar 3000S satellite bus. It is equipped with thirty six transponders operating in the J-band of the NATO-defined spectrum, or the Ku-band of the older IEEE-defined spectrum. At launch it had a mass of 5,320 kg (11,730 lb),[1] with an expected operational lifespan of 15 years,[2] however four of its transponders were deactivated five years after launch.[3] At the beginning of its operational life, it had a maximum power consumption of 10 kilowatts by the end of the satellite's operational life.[3]

Launch

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The launch of Astra 1M was conducted by International Launch Services (ILS), using a Proton-M launch vehicle with a Briz-M upper stage. The launch occurred from Site 200/39 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, at 20:44:20 UTC on 5 November 2008.[4] Astra 1M was successfully placed into a geostationary transfer orbit (GTO), from which it raised itself to geostationary orbit by means of an onboard apogee motor.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Astra 1M". SES Astra. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  2. ^ "UCS Satellite Database". Union of Concerned Scientists. 1 April 2010. Archived from the original on 3 June 2010. Retrieved 31 May 2010.
  3. ^ a b "Astra 1M". Gunter's Space Page. 11 December 2017. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  4. ^ McDowell, Jonathan (14 March 2021). "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Report. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
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