Eutelsat 8 West B is a geostationary communications satellite. Operated by Eutelsat, it provides direct-to-home (DTH) broadcasting services from geostationary orbit. The satellite is part of Eutelsat's constellation at a longitude of 8° West. Eutelsat announced the order of a new Spacebus-4000C3 satellite bus from Thales Alenia Space in October 2012.
| Names | Nilesat 104B |
|---|---|
| Mission type | Communications |
| Operator | Eutelsat |
| COSPAR ID | 2015-039B |
| SATCAT no. | 40875 |
| Website | www |
| Mission duration | 15 years (planned) 9 years, 2 months, 23 days (elapsed) |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft | Eutelsat 8 West B |
| Spacecraft type | Spacebus |
| Bus | Spacebus-4000C3 |
| Manufacturer | Thales Alenia Space |
| Launch mass | 5,782 kg (12,747 lb) |
| Power | watts |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 20 August 2015, 20:34:08 UTC |
| Rocket | Ariane 5ECA (VA255) |
| Launch site | Centre Spatial Guyanais, ELA-3 |
| Contractor | Arianespace |
| Entered service | October 2015 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric orbit |
| Regime | Geostationary orbit |
| Longitude | 8° West |
| Transponders | |
| Band | 50 transponders: 10 C-band 40 Ku-band |
| Coverage area | South America, Africa, Middle East |
Satellite description
editEutelsat 8 West B is a 5,782 kg (12,747 lb) satellite with a design life of 15 years. It is equipped with an S400-12 apogee motor which was used for initial orbit-raising manoeuvres and an S10-18 engine for station keeping burns.[1] The spacecraft has 10 C-band and 40 Ku-band transponders.[2]
Launch
editEutelsat 8 West B was launched on the Ariane 5ECA launch vehicles from Centre Spatial Guyanais at the Kourou in French Guiana. Liftoff occurred at 20:34:08 UTC on 20 August 2015,[3] with the launch vehicle successfully injecting its payload into geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO). The launch was conducted by Arianespace.
Mission
editFollowing launch, the satellite Eutelsat 8 West B used its apogee motor to raise itself into geostationary orbit, positioning itself at a longitude of 8° West. Capacity leased by Nilesat is marketed as Nilesat 104B.[2]
References
edit
- ^ "Hot Bird 6 / 2002 – 038A". Spacecraft Propulsion Heritage. EADS Astrium. Archived from the original on 4 October 2013. Retrieved 4 October 2013.
- ^ a b Krebs, Gunter (5 December 2019). "Eutelsat 8 West B (Nilesat 104B)". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 16 April 2021.
- ^ McDowell, Jonathan (14 March 2021). "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 16 April 2021.