Astra 1C
| COSPAR ID | 1993-031A |
|---|---|
| SATCAT no. | 22653 |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Bus | HS-601 |
| Manufacturer | Hughes |
| Launch mass | 2,790 kilograms (6,150 lb) |
| Power | 3,300 watts |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | May 12, 1993 UTC |
| Rocket | Ariane 42L V56 |
| Launch site | Kourou ELA-2 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Geosynchronous |
| Perigee altitude | 36,185 kilometres (22,484 mi)[1] |
| Apogee altitude | 36,214 kilometres (22,502 mi)[1] |
| Inclination | 7.01 degrees[1] |
| Period | 1456.94 minutes[1] |
| Epoch | 22 January 2015, 10:49:44 UTC[1] |
| Transponders | |
| Band | 24 Ku-band (18 main, 6 backup) |
| Bandwidth | 26 megahertz |
| TWTA power | 63 watts |
| EIRP | 51 decibel-watts |
Astra 1C was a geostationary communications satellites launched in 1993 by the Société Européenne des Satellites (SES), now SES Astra. The commsat remained in service until 2011 and is now derelict.
Astra 1C was the third communications satellite placed in orbit by SES, and was originally deployed at the Astra 19.2°E orbital position.[2]
The satellite was intended to be replaced in 2002, along with Astra 1B, by Astra 1K but this satellite failed to reach its intended orbit. It was eventually relieved of its remaining television/radio payloads by Astra 1KR in 2006.[3]
In November 2006, prior to the launch of Astra 1L to the 19.2°E position, Astra 1C was placed in an inclined orbit and moved first to 2.0°E for tests, and then in February 2007 to 4.6°E, notionally part of the Astra 5°E cluster of satellites[4] but largely unused.
After November 2008, the satellite operated back at 2.0°E,[5] in inclined orbit. On November 2, 2011 the satellite was taken out of use as Eutelsat, the rightholder for the 3° allocation, came on air with Eutelsat 3A and current rules ask for a minimum of 2° separation. In the summer of 2014, the satellite was moved to 73°W, close to SES' AMC-6 satellite,[6] to 1.2°W,[7] to 152°W,[8] to 40°W next to SES-6,[9] to 91°E in January 2015[10] and continuously moving west by approximately 5.2° per day to reach 164°E at the end of 2015[11]
Transponder usage
At Astra 19.2°E
| Transponder | Frequency | Channels carried[when?] |
|---|---|---|
| 33 | 10,964 H | ZDF (1993-) |
| 34 | 10,979 V | UK Living (1993–2001), Chinese Channel (1994–1995), Television X - The Fantasy Channel (1995-2001) |
| 35 | 10,994 H | The Children's Channel (1993–1998), The Family Channel (1993–1997), China News and Entertainment (1993–1994), Challenge (1997–2001), TV Travel Shop (1998-2001), CNBC Europe (1998-2001) |
| 36 | 11,009 V | Minimax (1993–1997), Documanía (-1997), Phoenix (1997-)[12] |
| 37 | 11,023 H | Cartoon Network UK/Europe (1993-1999), Cartoon Network UK (1999-2001), TNT Classic Movies UK/Europe (1993-1999), TNT UK (1999-2000), TCM UK (2000-2001) |
| 38 | 11,038 V | QVC UK (1993-) |
| 39 | 11,053 H | WDR Fernsehen (1993-) |
| 40 | 11,068 V | Cineclassics (1993–1997), Hessen Fernsehen |
| 41 | 11,082 H | Discovery Channel UK (1993–2001), CMT Europe (1993–1994), TLC UK (-1997), Discovery Home & Leisure UK (1997–2001), BR-alpha |
| 42 | 11,097 V | Bravo (1993–2001), EBN (1995-1998), The Adult Channel (1993-1995) Trouble (1997–2001), CNBC Europe (1998), Playboy Channel (1995-1997) |
| 43 | 11,112 H | MDR Fernsehen (1993-) |
| 44 | 11,127 V | Galavision (1993–1997), Sky Travel (1997-2001), Sky Movies Gold (1997-1998), VIVA, Sky Cinema (1998-2001) |
| 45 | 11,141 H | Bayerisches Fernsehen (1993-) |
| 46 | 11,156 V | Nickelodeon UK (1993–2001), TV Asia (1993-1994), The Paramount Channel (1995-1997), Paramount Comedy Channel (1997-2001) |
| 47 | 11,171 H | Sky Sports 2 (1994-2001), Sci-fi Channel UK (1995-1997), Sky Soap (1994-1997), Sky Sports Gold (1995-1996), Sky Travel (1994-1997), The History Channel UK (1995-1997), RBB Berlin, 1-2-3 TV |
| 48 | 11,186 V | Südwest 3 (1993-) |
See also
- Astra 19.2°E previous orbital position
- Astra 5°E previous orbital position
- SES S.A. satellite owner
References
- ^ a b c d e "ASTRA 1C Satellite details 1993-031A NORAD 22653". N2YO. 22 January 2015. Retrieved 25 January 2015.
- ^ Astra 1C fact sheet
- ^ "ASTRA 1KR SATELLITE SUCCESSFULLY LAUNCHED" (Press release). SES ASTRA. April 21, 2006. Retrieved January 26, 2012.
- ^ "Astra 1C factsheet". The Satellite Encyclopedia. Retrieved September 22, 2008.
- ^ Astra 1C in SES fleet information Accessed June 3, 2013
- ^ Real Time Satellite Tracking And Predictions Accessed August 2, 2014
- ^ Real Time Satellite Tracking And Predictions Accessed September 30, 2014
- ^ Real Time Satellite Tracking And Predictions Accessed October 28, 2014
- ^ Real Time Satellite Tracking And Predictions Accessed November 30, 2014
- ^ Real Time Satellite Tracking And Predictions Accessed January 30, 2015
- ^ Real Time Satellite Tracking And Predictions Accessed December 30, 2015
- ^ Sat-UK #142 01.11.97
External links
- OnAstra - Official consumers/viewers' site
- SES guide to receiving Astra satellites
- SES guide to channels broadcasting on Astra satellites