Astra 5B

Astra 5B is one of the Astra communications satellites owned and operated by SES. It was launched as SES' 56th satellite in March 2014, to the newest of the Astra orbital positions for direct to home (DTH) satellite TV, at 31.5°E^[1] for DTH, DTT and cable use in Eastern Europe,.^[2]

The satellite will replace the Astra 1G satellite currently at 31.5°E, which is itself filling in at that position after the loss of the Astra 5A satellite (originally called Sirius 2) in 2009^[3] Astra 2C was first used at 31.5°E to replace Astra 5A,^[4] with Astra 1G positioned there in 2010.^[5]

Astra 5B is the third satellite to be launched of four ordered together by SES from Astrium (now Airbus Defence and Space) in 2009.^[6] The similar Astra 2E and Astra 2F were launched to Astra 28.2°E before Astra 5B in 2013 and 2012, respectively, and the fourth, Astra 2G was launched later, in 2014.^[7]

Market

The Astra 5B satellite provided two Ku-band broadcast beams, each of horizontal and vertical polarisation, across two footprints, called the High Power beam and the Wide beam.

• The High Power beam provides reception on a 50 cm dish in Eastern Europe, the Balkans, Greece, Turkey and the Caucasus to the Black Sea.
• The Wide beam enables reception on a 60 cm dish over the same area and in addition, the Baltic and much of Eastern Russia.

Within these reception areas, Astra 5B will provide capacity for DTH broadcasting, direct-to-cable, and contribution feeds to digital terrestrial television networks.^[2]

The satellite will also carry a hosted L-band payload for the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS).

History

Astra 5B was ordered by SES in 2009 and built by Airbus Defence and Space (formerly Astrium) on the Eurostar E3000 platform.^[6] The launch was originally scheduled for launch in the second quarter of 2013^[8] but that launch was cancelled because the other satellite (Optus 10) which was due to accompany Astra 5B on the Ariane 5 launch was pulled from the manifest pending a possible sale of Optus.^[9]

The launch was then planned for December 6, 2013 with Hispasat's Amazonas 4A satellite as the co-passenger^[10] but it was announced in November that the launch had been postponed until January 2014 by delays to the availability of the Amazonas craft.^[11] Finally, Ariane 5 VA216 was launched on March 22, 2014.^[12]

Astra 5B began commercial operation on June 2, 2014^[13] and by the end of June 2014 had 18 active transponders carrying channels for eastern Europe.^[14]

See also

• Astra 31.5°E orbital position
• Astra 5A previous satellite replaced
• Astra 1G co-located satellite
• SES satellite operator
• Astra satellite family

References

External links

• OnAstra - Official Astra consumers/viewers' site
• SES - Official SES trade/industry site
• SES guide to receiving Astra satellites
• SES guide to channels broadcasting on Astra satellites
• Astra 31.5°E orbital position Website