ILS Proton to Launch Eutelsat’s Hot Bird 8 Satellite on August 5 in Baikonur

BAIKONUR COSMODROME, Kazakhstan, July 31, 2006/Satnews Daily/ ― ILS announced on Friday the launch of Eutelsat Communication’s (Euronext Paris: ETL) Hot Bird 8 Satellite at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan on Aug. 5 at 3:48 a.m., Baikonur time, or 21:48 Aug. 4 GMT.

The Hot Bird 8 broadcasting satellite built by EADS Astrium for Eutelsat will be launched on a Proton M Breeze M vehicle provided by ILS. Weighing 4.9 tons at the launch pad and equipped with 64 Ku-band transponders, Hot Bird 8 will be the largest satellite yet orbited by Eutelsat. Hot Bird 8 is based on EADS Astrium E3000 platform.

Designed for television and radio broadcasting it will be positioned at 13 degrees East, Eutelsat’s prime video neighborhood, which delivers 950 television channels and 600 radio stations to 110 million cable and satellite homes in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East.

Eutelsat said the satellite will 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 neighborhood. The satellite will have a life span of less than 15 years.

Recent Stories:

ILS Sets Proton Breeze M Return to Flight in August with Eutelsat's Hot Bird 8

ILS to Launch Astra Satellite on Atlas V

Eutelsat Opens New Video Neighborhood With Entry Into Service of Atlantic Bird 4

ILS Sets Proton Breeze M Return to Flight in August with Eutelsat's Hot Bird 8