The spacecraft will be part of a dual Eutelsat payload for the next Ariane 5 mission, joining the European telecommunications provider’s HOT BIRD 9 satellite on the same launch vehicle. W2M was developed by a European-Indian alliance of EADS Astrium and ANTRIX (the commercial arm of ISRO – the Indian Space Research Organisation), and will have a lift-off mass of 3,460 kg. The spacecraft is based on ISRO’s I-3K satellite bus and will have a span of 15.7 meters when its solar panels are fully deployed in orbit. Positioned at an orbital slot of 16° E, W2M will typically operate 26 transponders in Ku-band, and up to 32, depending on operational modes. As with Eutelsat’s other W-series satellites, W2M was designed for flexibility and will be able to deliver a wide range of services from television broadcasting to data networks and broadband. The W2M’s fixed beam will cover Europe, North Africa and the Middle East, while its steerable beam can be re-oriented in-orbit according to market requirements, notably towards Africa and central Asia. The upcoming Ariane 5 mission will be Arianespace’s wrap-up flight for 2008, and follows five other highly successful launches that orbited eight telecommunications satellites and the Jules Verne Automated Transfer Vehicle for the International Space Station.
Satnews Daily
October 24th, 2008
Eutelsat's W2M To Service MENA + European Markets
Eutelsat’s W2M satellite has started its pre-launch processing at Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana as preparations move into full swing for the upcoming Arianespace launch with a heavy-lift Ariane 5 ECA.
The spacecraft will be part of a dual Eutelsat payload for the next Ariane 5 mission, joining the European telecommunications provider’s HOT BIRD 9 satellite on the same launch vehicle. W2M was developed by a European-Indian alliance of EADS Astrium and ANTRIX (the commercial arm of ISRO – the Indian Space Research Organisation), and will have a lift-off mass of 3,460 kg. The spacecraft is based on ISRO’s I-3K satellite bus and will have a span of 15.7 meters when its solar panels are fully deployed in orbit. Positioned at an orbital slot of 16° E, W2M will typically operate 26 transponders in Ku-band, and up to 32, depending on operational modes. As with Eutelsat’s other W-series satellites, W2M was designed for flexibility and will be able to deliver a wide range of services from television broadcasting to data networks and broadband. The W2M’s fixed beam will cover Europe, North Africa and the Middle East, while its steerable beam can be re-oriented in-orbit according to market requirements, notably towards Africa and central Asia. The upcoming Ariane 5 mission will be Arianespace’s wrap-up flight for 2008, and follows five other highly successful launches that orbited eight telecommunications satellites and the Jules Verne Automated Transfer Vehicle for the International Space Station.
The W2M satellite is removed from its protective shipping container in the S5C high bay of the Spaceport’s S5 payload preparation facility.
The spacecraft will be part of a dual Eutelsat payload for the next Ariane 5 mission, joining the European telecommunications provider’s HOT BIRD 9 satellite on the same launch vehicle. W2M was developed by a European-Indian alliance of EADS Astrium and ANTRIX (the commercial arm of ISRO – the Indian Space Research Organisation), and will have a lift-off mass of 3,460 kg. The spacecraft is based on ISRO’s I-3K satellite bus and will have a span of 15.7 meters when its solar panels are fully deployed in orbit. Positioned at an orbital slot of 16° E, W2M will typically operate 26 transponders in Ku-band, and up to 32, depending on operational modes. As with Eutelsat’s other W-series satellites, W2M was designed for flexibility and will be able to deliver a wide range of services from television broadcasting to data networks and broadband. The W2M’s fixed beam will cover Europe, North Africa and the Middle East, while its steerable beam can be re-oriented in-orbit according to market requirements, notably towards Africa and central Asia. The upcoming Ariane 5 mission will be Arianespace’s wrap-up flight for 2008, and follows five other highly successful launches that orbited eight telecommunications satellites and the Jules Verne Automated Transfer Vehicle for the International Space Station.