Eutelsat 33B
Eutelsat 33B, formerly known as Eutelsat W5, Eutelsat 3F1, Eutelsat W1, Eutelsat 70A and Eutelsat 25C, is a telecommunications satellite owned by Eutelsat Consortium.[2] Eutelsat W5 provides coverage to Western Europe, Central Asia, the Middle East. The satellite can use either six steerable beams or two fixed beams to provide the coverage. Eutelsat 70A was used to provide video distribution and contribution links, occasional-use video as well as Internet backbone connections.[3]
| Names | Eutelsat W1 (pre-launch) Eutelsat W5 (2002-12) Eutelsat 70A (2012-13) Eutelsat 25C (2013-14) Eutelsat 33B (2014—) |
|---|---|
| Mission type | Telecommunications |
| Operator | Eutelsat |
| COSPAR ID | 2002-051A |
| SATCAT no. | 27554 |
| Website | www |
| Mission duration | 12 years |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Bus | Spacebus-3000B2 |
| Manufacturer | Aérospatiale (with DASA, Alenia & SSL (Space Systems/Loral)) |
| Launch mass | 3,170 kilograms (6,990 lb) |
| BOL mass | 1,900 kilograms (4,200 lb) |
| Dry mass | 1,400 kilograms (3,100 lb) |
| Power | 5,900 watts |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 20 November 2002, 22:39:00 UTC |
| Rocket | Delta IV-M+(4,2) |
| Launch site | Cape Canaveral SLC-37B |
| Contractor | Boeing |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Geostationary |
| Perigee altitude | 35,783 kilometres (22,235 mi) |
| Apogee altitude | 35,796 kilometres (22,243 mi) |
| Inclination | 0.11 degrees |
| Period | 1,436.24 minutes |
| Epoch | 4 December 2002[1] |
| Transponders | |
| Band | 24 Ku band |
| Coverage area | Western Europe Central Asia India |
Eutelsat 70A was the first satellite to be launched by a Delta IV rocket. The launch was originally scheduled for January 2001, but was delayed several times due to developmental problems with the Delta IV rocket.
Specifications
Eutelsat 70A was built by Aérospatiale and is a Spacebus 3000 satellite.[2] The satellite measures 4.6 m x 2.5 m x 1.8 m (15 ft x 8.2 ft x 5.9 ft) and has a span of 29 m (95 ft) on orbit. Eutelsat 70A features three axis stabilization to help keep it stable and pointed at the earth at all times. It features twenty-four Ku band transponders.
Problems
Eutelsat 70A has suffered numerous problems. The first was during testing, when the factory where it was being built caught fire. The cause of the fire was determined to be a carbon fiber wall which got too hot when the antennas were pointed at it and turned up on full power. The satellite was covered in water causing extensive damage.[2]
On 27 March 2007, Eutelsat 70A began drifting west at a rate of 0.004° per day. It is not known why this began to happen.[4]
On 16 June 2008, a power generation anomaly occurred and four transponders were permanently lost. It was later revealed that one of the two solar panels was lost because the array's drive motor failed.[2]
In 2013 it was replaced by Eutelsat 70B at 70° East [3] and was then moved to 25° East where it was renamed to Eutelsat 25C.[5]
In October 2015, Eutelsat 33B was deactivated because of the loss of its second solar panel.[6]
References
- McDowell, Jonathan. "SATCAT". Jonathan's Space Pages. Retrieved 3 May 2018.
- "TSE - Eutelsat W5". The Satellite Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2010-02-26.
- "W5: 70.5". Eutelsat.com. Archived from the original on 2012-12-26. Retrieved 2010-02-26.
- "Spacebus 3000". Astronautix. Retrieved 2010-02-26.
- "Eutelsat 25C". Eutelsat.com. Archived from the original on 2013-05-31. Retrieved 2013-05-14.
- "CHIFFRE D'AFFAIRES DU PREMIER TRIMESTRE 2015-16. CROISSANCE DE 2,0% A TAUX DE CHANGE CONSTANT" [SALES OF THE FIRST QUARTER 2015-16. GROWTH OF 2.0% AT CONSTANT EXCHANGE RATE]. Archived from the original on April 1, 2016.