Hot Bird
.jpg) Hot Bird Official Logo | |
| Country of origin | France |
|---|---|
| Operator | Eutelsat |
| Applications | Communications |
| Specifications | |
| Regime | Geostationary, 13° East |
| Production | |
| Status | Operational |
| On order | 0 |
| Built | 11 |
| Launched | 11 |
| Operational | 3 |
| Retired | 7 |
| Lost | 1 |
| Maiden launch | Hot Bird 1 28 March 1995 |
| Last launch | Hot Bird 10 12 February 2009 |
Hot Bird is a group of satellites operated by Eutelsat, located at 13°E over the Equator (orbital position) and with a transmitting footprint over Europe, North Africa and the Middle East.
Only digital radio and television channels are transmitted by the Hot Bird constellation, both free-to-air and encrypted. In addition there are a few interactive and IP services. The satellites currently operate at 13° East and are numbered 13B, 13C and 13D.
List of satellites
| Name[1] | Launch Location | Current Location | Launch date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hot Bird 1 | Kourou | Junk orbit | 28 March 1995 | Inactive |
| Hot Bird 2 (Eurobird 9) | Cape Canaveral | 48°E | 21 November 1996 | Active |
| Hot Bird 3 (Eurobird 4) | Kourou | Junk orbit | 2 September 1997 | Inactive |
| Hot Bird 4 (Atlantic Bird 4) | Kourou | Junk orbit | 27 February 1998 | Inactive |
| Hot Bird 5 (Eutelsat 25B/Es'hail)[2] | Cape Canaveral | 25.5°E | 9 October 1998 | Active |
| Hot Bird 6 | Cape Canaveral | 70.3°E | 21 August 2002 | Active |
| Hot Bird 7 | Kourou | N/A - launch failure | 11 December 2002 | Failed |
| Hot Bird 7A (Eurobird 9A) | Kourou | 13°E | 12 March 2006 | Active |
| Hot Bird 8 | Baikonur | 13°E | 4 August 2006 | Active |
| Hot Bird 9 | Kourou | 13°E | 20 December 2008 | Active |
| Hot Bird 10 | Kourou | 33°E | 12 February 2009 | Active |
Satellite details
Hot Bird 1
Hot Bird 1 was launched by Ariane 44LP on 28 March 1995. The 13° East slot predates the launch, with Eutelsat 1F1 having been located there as early as 1983, and Eutelsat 2F1 having also served time at the location. It has reached end-of-life.
Hot Bird 3
Hot Bird 3 was launched by Ariane 44LP on 2 September 1997 and intended to be moved to 10°E to become Eurobird 10. During the drift from 13°E to 10°E, the satellite suffered loss of power from one solar array. It was nevertheless successfully moved to 10°E, but could only operate at a reduced capacity. Since then, it is operating at 4°E under the name Eurobird 4. At last it was moved to 75°E and renamed to ABS_1B. It has reached end-of-life.
Hot Bird 4
Hot Bird 4 was launched by Ariane 42P on 27 February 1998 and redeployed to 7°W in July 2006, becoming Atlantic Bird 4 / Nilesat 103
Hot Bird 5
Hot Bird 5 was launched by Atlas-2A on 9 October 1998 and re-located to 25.5°E and renamed Eurobird 2. Six transponders are leased to Arabsat under the name Badr 2, after having been called Arabsat 2D.
Hot Bird 6 (Hot Bird 70D)
Hot Bird 6 was launched by Atlas V 401 on 21 July 2002. Starting on 12 June 2009, the day of Iranian elections, deliberate interference affecting this satellite was traced to Iran. Hot Bird 6 is the primary carrier for BBC Persian Television.[3] As of 2013, it is replaced with Hot Bird 10 (Hot Bird 13D)
Hot Bird 7/7A
Hot Bird 7 was lost in December 2002 during the Ariane 5 ECA launch. Its replacement, Hot Bird 7A (a Spacebus 3000B3) was successfully launched on 11 March 2006.
Hot Bird 8 (Hot Bird 13B)
Hot Bird 8 was launched by Proton on 5 August 2006. With a launch mass of 4.9 tonnes, Hot Bird 8 is the largest and the most powerful broadcast satellite serving Europe.
Hot Bird 9 (Hot Bird 13C)
Hot Bird 9 was launched by Ariane 5 ECA in December 2008. Its entry into service enabled the Hot Bird 7A satellite to be redeployed to 9° East and rebranded Eurobird 9A, increasing capacity to 38 Ku band transponders at this orbital position.
Hot Bird 10 (Eutelsat 33E)
Hot Bird 10 was launched by Ariane 5 ECA in February 2009 with NSS-9, Spirale A and Spirale B. The Eutelat 33E satellite is located at 33° East, Eutelsat’s premium video neighbourhood for cable and satellite broadcasting in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East.
Packages broadcast on Hot Bird
- Bis TV
- Cyfrowy Polsat
- Eurosport
- Globecast
- NC+
- NOVA Greece
- NOVA Cyprus
- Press TV
- Sky Italia
- Tivù Sat
- Viacom
Free-To-Air channels
Up to 1000 television and radio channels are available Free-To-Air.
List of providers
References
- ^ "Comparison of the Hot Bird series satellites". Retrieved 8 June 2010.
- ^ Europe zone
- ^ BBC Persian television combats broadcast interference from Iran, BBC Press Release
External links
- Official
- UnOfficial