Eutelsat Konnect

EUTELSAT KONNECT is a geostationary communications satellite operated by Eutelsat.[1] The satellite was designed and manufactured by Thales Alenia Space on the Spacebus NEO 100 platform, and was launched on 16 January 2020 on an Ariane 5 ECA. The satellite provides broadband internet and communications coverage to Europe and Sub-Saharan Africa.[2]

EUTELSAT KONNECT
Artist's impression of EUTELSAT KONNECT satellite
NamesAfrican Broadband Satellite
Mission typeCommunication
OperatorEutelsat
COSPAR ID2020-005B
SATCAT no.45027
Mission duration15 years (planned)
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft typeSB NEO 100
BusSpacebus NEO
ManufacturerThales Alenia Space
Launch mass3619 kg
Power20 kW
Start of mission
Launch date16 January 2020, 21:05:00 UTC
RocketAriane 5 ECA (VA-251)
Launch siteKourou, ELA-3
ContractorArianespace
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric orbit
RegimeGeostationary orbit
Longitude7.2° East
Transponders
BandKa-band
Coverage areaEurope, Sub-Saharan Africa
 

History

In October 2015, Eutelsat ordered a next-generation communications satellite originally named the African Broadband Satellite.[2] The satellite was ordered as part of Eutelsat's move to expand in the African communications market.[1] Thales Alenia Space contracted launch on an Ariane 5 ECA, co-manifested with another payload as is usual, GSAT-30.

Spacecraft

EUTELSAT KONNECT is built on the Spacebus NEO 100 platform, an all-electric satellite bus designed with funding and support from the European Space Agency (ESA) and French agency, CNES. In addition to providing more communications capacity, the new platform provided significant manufacturing cost reductions compared to previous geostationary satellites.[3] EUTELSAT KONNECT carries a high-throughput Ka-band communications payload, providing 75 Gbps of capacity through 65 spot beams.[2]

Launch

On 16 January 2020 at 21:05:00 UTC, EUTELSAT KONNECT was launched to on an Ariane 5 ECA.[3] The launch was shared with Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) communications satellite GSAT-30.[4] Approximately 28 minutes after launch, Eutelsat Konnect separated from the SYLDA fairing and was released into geostationary transfer orbit (GTO).[5]

References
  1. "Eutelsat Konnect satellite, built by Thales Alenia Space, now in orbit". Thales Group. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  2. "Eutelsat Konnect". space.skyrocket.de. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  3. "Arianespace launches Eutelsat, ISRO satellites on first 2020 mission". SpaceNews. 16 January 2020. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  4. "Arianespace gears up for busy 2020 with dual-passenger Ariane 5 mission". NASASpaceFlight.com. 16 January 2020. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  5. "Space Launch Report". Space Launch Report. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
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