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PARIS,
August 21, 2006/Satnews Daily/
― Following the launch on Aug. 4, 2006
by an ILS Proton Breeze M, Eutelsat’s Hot Bird 8 satellite, has reached
geosynchronous
orbit through three apogee engine firings. Its 16 kW solar array and
antenna reflectors are both fully deployed, and the spacecraft has
acquired its final Earth-pointing control mode.
Eutelsat said all systems are operating nominally and the payload has
been switched on and will be fully tested at 1.7°E longitude on the
geostationary arc before the satellite is moved to its operational
position at 13°E and enters commercial service.
Equipped with 64 Ku-band transponders, Hot Bird 8 has a capacity almost
three times that of the previous-generation Hot Bird satellites. It is
the most powerful satellite ever built in Europe and the most powerful
satellite ever ordered by a European operator.
As prime contractor for Hot Bird 8, EADS Space designed and built the
satellite, including the Ku-band payload and the platform. The satellite
is a Eurostar E3000 model and equipped with a two-level communications
module, an all-chemical propulsion system and lithium-ion batteries. Hot
Bird 8 is designed to have a 15-year service life in orbit.
To date 43 Eurostar satellites have been ordered, 30 of which have
already been successfully launched. Seven Eurostar E3000s are currently
operating in orbit, while eight more are in production.
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