|
||
|
Astrium to Build New Astra Satellite for Launch in 2009 |
||
|
BETZDORF, Luxembourg, Nov. 22, 2006/Satnews Daily/ ― SES Astra, an SES Global company (Euronext Paris and Luxembourg Stock Exchange: SESG), has announced that it has awarded the contract for the construction of its new satellite, Astra 3B, to the European satellite manufacturer Astrium. As prime contractor for Astra 3B, Astrium will design and build the satellite.
Astra 3B will be a state-of-the-art Ku and Ka-band spacecraft designed for the distribution of both direct-to-home (DTH) broadcast services and two-way broadband services across Europe. After Astra 2B and Astra 1M, Astra 3B is the third Astra satellite to be built by Astrium.
SES Astra said the satellite will have 52 transponders of which 20 transponders are to replace existing in-orbit capacity and 32 transponders which will create new capacity, thereby strengthening 23.5E as the third orbital hotspot for European DTH services. Astra 3B is expected to be launched end of 2009.
Astra 3B will be built on a Eurostar E3000 platform, the latest version of Astrium’s Eurostar series. Seven Eurostar E3000 are currently in operation in orbit, and 10 more are at various stages of production. To date, 45 Eurostar satellites of various series have been ordered from Astrium, 31 of which have been successfully launched and have proven to be highly reliable in commercial service.
Ferdinand Kayser, president and CEO of SES Astra, said Astra 3B will significantly strengthen the company’s orbital position at 23.5° East which has become increasingly attractive for DTH broadcasters across Europe. “Together with Astrium, we look forward to developing this new generation of satellites, thus increasing our satellite fleet for the benefits of our customers,” he said.
Astrium, a wholly owned subsidiary of EADS, and is dedicated to providing civil and defence space systems. In 2005, Astrium had a turnover of €2.7 billion and 11,000 employees in France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Spain and the Netherlands. It has two main business units: Astrium Space Transportation, for launchers and orbital infrastructure, and Astrium Satellites for spacecraft and ground segment.
Recent Stories: Astrium-built BADR-4 Satellite Ready for Launch Eutelsat Awards Astrium Contract to Deliver Hot Bird 10 Broadcast Satellite |
||
