Astra 3A
| COSPAR ID | 2002-015B |
|---|---|
| SATCAT no. | 27400 |
| Mission duration | 10 years |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Manufacturer | Boeing Satellite Systems |
| Launch mass | 1,495 kilograms (3,296 lb) |
| Power | 1,550 watts |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 29 March 2002 |
| Rocket | Ariane 44L V139 |
| Launch site | Kourou ELA-2 |
| Contractor | Arianespace |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Geostationary |
| Longitude | 176.9° west |
| Perigee altitude | 35,788 kilometres (22,238 mi)[1] |
| Apogee altitude | 35,796 kilometres (22,243 mi)[1] |
| Inclination | 2.9 degrees[1] |
| Period | 1436.07 minutes[1] |
| Epoch | 22 January 2015, 17:07:00 UTC[1] |
| Transponders | |
| Band | 20 Ku band |
| Bandwidth | 36 MHz |
| TWTA power | 30 W |
| EIRP | 52 dBW |
Astra 3A is one of the Astra communications satellites owned and operated by SES, launched in 2002 to the Astra 23.5°E orbital slot to provide digital television and radio for DTH and cable, multimedia and interactive services, corporate networks, and occasional and other business services to central Europe.
The satellite provides two broadcast beams, of horizontal and vertical polarisation, across two footprints that covered essentially the same areas of Europe – principally the countries of central Europe.[2]
Astra 3A was launched to provide follow-on capacity to replace the DFS-Kopernikus 3 satellite and deliver additional capacity for the Benelux countries and central Europe, to create SES-Astra’s third major European satellite hotspot after Astra 19.2°E and Astra 28.2°E with access to channels at both positions using a single dish fitted with a monoblock Duo LNB.
In that role, TV signals could be received with a 50 cm dish across Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, the Czech Republic, most of Denmark, and in parts of France, Italy, Poland, Slovenia, and Slovakia. Reception was even possible as far afield as Scotland, Sweden and Serbia when a larger dish (around 110 cm) was used.
In addition to contribution feeds and individual TV channels, Astra 3A carried pay-TV networks including Kabel Deutschland (Germany), CanalDigitaal (Netherlands), TV Vlaanderen (Belgium), CS Link (Slovakia and Czech Republic) and Skylink (Slovakia and Czech Republic).[3] On February 1, 2012 Kabel Deutschland left Astra 3A[4] and during 2012 other services were transferred off the satellite. As of October 2012, Astra 3A was in an inclined orbit[5] at 23.7°E[6] with all services carried by the adjacent Astra 3B craft.
In November 2013, Astra 3A was moved to 176.9°W where it remains, in inclined orbit, to provide backup to SES' NSS-9 satellite.[7]
As of June 2015, Astra 3A was moving east at approximately 1.5°/day.[8]
See also
- Astra 23.5°E former orbital position
- SES satellite operator
- Astra satellite family
- Astra 3B replacement satellite
- DFS-Kopernikus previous position holder
References
- ^ a b c d e "ASTRA 3A Satellite details 2002-015B NORAD 27400". N2YO. 22 January 2015. Retrieved 25 January 2015.
- ^ "Astra 3A". SES. Retrieved January 26, 2012.
- ^ "Astra 3A at 23.5°E". LyngSat. Archived from the original on 28 August 2008. Retrieved August 28, 2008.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "Kabel Deutschland schaltet Satellitenzuführung endgültig ab" (in German). Digital fernsehen. 2 February 2012.
- ^ "Astra 3A Key Data". SES. Retrieved October 14, 2012.
- ^ "Astra 3A". LyngSat.com. Retrieved October 14, 2012.
- ^ Real Time Satellite Tracking And Predictions Accessed March 31, 2014
- ^ Real Time Satellite Tracking And Predictions Accessed July 4, 2016
External links
- SES guide to receiving Astra satellites
- SES guide to channels broadcasting on Astra satellites
- OnAstra - Official consumers/viewers' site
- SES - Official trade/industry site