June 2013

SATELLITE UPDATES

INSAT-3D (GSAT 15) READY FOR LAUNCH

The third Ariane 5 in 2013 is preparing for launch in July. It will loft ISRO's INSAT-3D and the Alphasat.

INSAT-3D ( also called the G-SAT 15) is a dedicated meteorological satellite built by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), India's space agency. It will carry weather forecasting payloads, along with a search and rescue relay system, and has a liftoff mass of 2,100kg., offering 1,100 Watts of power.

Built by Astrium, Alphasat will weigh more than 6,000 Kgs and provide additional L-band capacity for coverage of Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Alphasat will operated under an agreement between the European Space Agency (ESA) and European commercial satellite operator Inmarsat.

Designated Flight VA214 in Arianespace's numbering system, this launch represents the 214th flight of an Ariane vehicle since this family's maiden liftoff in December 1979.

TELESAT STALLED BY RSCC

Canada's Telesat operates its 1999 launched Telstar 12 satellite at 15 degrees West, over the mid-Atlantic, which is nearing the end of its service life.

However, Moscow-based satellite operator Russian Satellite Communications Co (RSCC) operates from 14 degrees where it will position its new Express-AM8 satellite by 2014. AM8 will provide a link between Europe and America. RSCC holds the much needed frequency rights & RSCC has sold capacity to a UK company, and another in Germany, for transmitting signals to the Americas and South-East Africa.

As a result Telesat majority shareholder Loral Space & Communications informed the Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC) that it had been unable to resolve the dispute between Telesat and RSCC. "Failure to reach an agreement with RSCC could prejudice Telesat's ability to replace Telstar 12 or make a replacement satellite not economically viable.

SES-6 SHIPPED

The SES-6 satellite, designed and manufactured by Astrium has been shipped to Baikonur, Kazakhstan, in preparation for its launch on an ILS Proton vehicle.

Based on the Eurostar E3000 platform, SES-6 is equipped with 43 C-Band and 48 Ku-Band transponders (36 MHz equivalent). It will enable the delivery of next generation broadcast services including HD video distribution and mobile services from its 40.5 degrees west location in geostationary orbit, covering North and Latin America, Europe and the Atlantic Ocean.

The SES-6 will have a wingspan of 40 meters & a spacecraft power of 13kW at the end of its 15-year design lifetime.

SES-6 will be the sixth Eurostar satellite in the SES fleet. Three more Eurostar E3000 for SES are currently in final integration and tests in Astrium facilities.

NEPAL SAT BY 2015

An orbital slot provided by the International Telecommunication Union to Nepal many years ago will expire in 2015, prompting Kathmandu to approach both China & India to launch its first satellite and utilise its orbital slot.

Nepali government officials told China's official Xinhua news agency, "If Nepal is unable to entirely use the satellite for its internal consumption, it can be leased to either China or India or both for commercial purposes."

China's Great Wall Industry Corporation (GWIC), has helped launch satellites for Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bolivia and Nigeria, has voiced its interest in principle to Nepali diplomats. GWIC is also in talks with Bangladesh over its satellite program. China's dual offers of technological assistance and financial support through favourable loans from the China Development Bank have found favor with many developing countries.

The Cabinet Committee on Security in March asked the Indian Space Research Organisation to become more active in responding to neighbors' needs after reports from the Research & Analysis Wing highlighted how India's lack of interest in the recent past had enabled China's fast-expanding success in this field.

ILS WINS NEW ECHOSTAR CONTRACT

International Launch Services (ILS) and EchoStar Satellite Services have signed a new deal. ILS will loft EchoStar's 6900 Kg satellite from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, in 2015 or early 2016.

CHINA: ANTI-SAT MISSILE TEST?

A Chinese rocket launched in mid May has raised concerns in the United States that it was probably an anti-satellite missile test.

China claims the launch carried a sciences payload to study the magnetosphere. However, reports indicate that the rocket didn't place any objects in orbit.

The rocket, launched from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in western China, reached an altitude of 6,250 miles above Earth, making it the highest suborbital launch worldwide since 1979, according to reports; the vehicle then re-entered the atmosphere above the Indian Ocean.

In 2007, China launched a missile that destroyed one of its own defunct satellites in orbit.

INTELSAT - BOEING DEAL

Intelsat will be purchasing 4 new high-performance EpicNG 702 MP satellites from Boeing. Intelsat has now ordered a total of eight satellites from Boeing as part of its EpicNG program.

Intelsat's IPO has also been a major event for the company this year. The company received $550 million in net IPO proceeds in April, which we will use to pay down $492 million of debt.

EUTELSAT-3D

The EUTELSAT 3D satellite owned by Eutelsat Communications, was launched on 14 May by a Proton Breeze M rocket supplied by ILS. The satellite will operate from 3 degrees East.

Following a 9-hour 13- minute flight, Proton released EUTELSAT 3D into geosynchronous transfer orbit. The partial deployment of the satellite's solar panels was successfully carried out from Eutelsat's control centre in Rambouillet three hours and 15 minutes after separation from the rocket.

Eutelsat also announces that it has signed a new launch contract with ILS for a satellite to be launched in the 2014-2016 timeframe. This will be the eighth satellite to be launched for Eutelsat by the Proton launcher.

From its parking slot at 3 degrees East, EUTELSAT-3D will serve customers in Europe, North Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia through a configuration of Ku and Ka transponders connected to three footprints. A fourth service area in the Ku-band will serve markets in sub-Saharan Africa.

EUTELSAT 3D will operate at 3 degrees East until the deployment of the EUTELSAT 3B satellite to this position in 2014 to provide spectrum growth and high levels of operational flexibility in C, Ku and Ka bands. It will subsequently be shifted to serve at 7 degrees East. The satellite is designed to operate in orbit for 15 years. n