W3B & BSAT 3b (Ariane 5-ECA launched 28 Oct 2010)

[Zipi]

Launch window: TBD
Launch site: ELA-3, Kourou, French Guiana

Arianespace Flight 197 will use an Ariane 5 rocket with a cryogenic upper stage to launch Eutelsat's W3B communications satellite to serve Europe, Africa and the Middle East and Japan's BSAT 3b satellite to provide high definition direct broadcasting television programming.

Official Site to Check the Launch Window: http://www.cnes-csg.fr/web/CNES-CSG-fr/ ... n-vol-.php
Arianespace Mission Status Center: http://www.arianespace.com/news/mission-status.asp
Arianespace Launch Kit: http://www.arianespace.com/news-launch- ... ch-kit.asp (not yet available)
Live Stream: http://www.videocorner.tv/

Related Arianespace Press Releases:
Maintaining the mission pace: three Ariane 5s are at the Spaceport in French Guiana
Integration begins with the next Ariane 5 to be launched from the Spaceport
Basic assembly is completed for the next Ariane 5 to be launched in 2010
Arianespace’s fourth Ariane 5 launcher of 2010 is ready to receive its dual-passenger payload

Ariane 5 Launch Animation: (not very professionally made)
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtI50ndY2WE[/youtube]

W3A

Height: 5,8m
Length: 2,0m
Width: 2,2m
Width with solar panels deployed: 34m
Mass at launch: 5400kg
Power at end-of-life: 12kW
Operational life: +15 years
Orbital position: 7 degrees East
Satellite Platform: Thales Alenia SpaceBus 4000
Operator: Eutelsat

Eutelsat Press Release of W3B: http://www.eutelsat.com/news/compress/e ... %20W3B.pdf
Thales Alenia SpaceBus 4000: http://www.thalesgroup.com/Portfolio/Sp ... cebus4000/
W-Series Wikipedia Article (very stub): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W_Series

BSAT 3b

Equipment: 12 Ku-band transponders (130W)
Propulsion: LEROS-1C
Lifetime: 15 years
Mass: 1967kg
Orbit: GEO
Satellite Platform: Locheed Martin A2100A
Operator: Broadcasting Satellite System Corporation

Lockheed Martin's BSAT 3b Press Release: http://www.lockheedmartin.com/news/pres ... -bsat.html
Broadcasting Satellite System Corporation Wikipedia Article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broadcasti ... orporation
Gunter's Space Page BSAT-3b: http://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/bsat-3.htm

Ariane 5 ECA Launch Vehicle

Arianespace's Ariane 5 Page: http://www.arianespace.com/launch-servi ... -intro.asp
Ariane 5 Wikipedia Article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ariane_5
Ariane 5 ECA Cutout Image: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/c ... _5_ECA.gif
Ariane 5 Launch vehicle's technology: http://www.le-webmag.com/article.php3?i ... 20&lang=en
ESA's Ariane 5 Detailed Information Page: http://esamultimedia.esa.int/multimedia ... riane.html

The Main Cryogenic Stage

As the central element of Ariane 5, the core cryogenic stage serves as one of the launcher's key propulsion systems.

It carries a propellant load of 132.27 metric tons of liquid oxygen and 25.84 metric tons of liquid hydrogen to feed the stage's Vulcain main engine.

The Vulcain burns for just under 600 seconds, providing up to 116 metric tons of thrust in vacuum.

The stage has an overall length of 30.5 meters from the Vulcain main engine's nozzle to the forward (upper) skirt.

Its dry mass is 12.2 metric tons, and the liftoff mass with its load of cryogenic propellant is 170.3 metric tons.

After completing its propulsive mission, the empty stage is commanded to reenter the atmosphere for an ocean splashdown.

Ariane 5 ECA has one Vulcain II Main Engine burning LH[sub]2[/sub]/LOX

Vulcain Wikipedia Article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vulcain
Vulcain-2 Volvo Aero Product Guide: http://www.volvoaero.com/SiteCollection ... 2_2005.pdf
Volvo Aero Vulcain 2 Product Page: http://www.volvoaero.com/VOLVOAERO/GLOB ... ain_2.aspx
Snecma Vulcain 2 Marketing Brochure: http://www.snecma.com/IMG/pdf/Brochure_ ... pdf#page=7
Snecma Vulcain 2 Technical Sheet: http://www.snecma.com/IMG/pdf/VULCAIN_2_ang-2.pdf
Snecma Vulcain 2 Product Page: http://www.snecma.com/spip.php?article121&lang=en

Solid Rocket Boosters

Arianespace's Booster Manufacturing Page: http://www.arianespace.com/spaceport-ar ... ooster.asp
Booster Test Stand Page: http://www.cnes.fr/web/CNES-en/2887-ari ... -stand.php
Booster Manufacturer: http://www.aviogroup.com/en/avio_heritage/spazio (AvioGroup, FiatAvio, Regulus)

Ariane 5 utilizes two solid boosters, each standing more than 30 meters tall with 237.8 metric tons of propellant. The boosters are ignited on the launch pad once the main cryogenic stage's Vulcain engine has stabilized its thrust output.

They deliver more than 90 percent of the launcher's total thrust at the start of flight and burn for 130 sec. before they are separated over a designated zone of the Atlantic Ocean.

The booster stage’s solid rocket motor is made up of three segments: the 11.1-meter-long aft (lower) segment, which is loaded with 106.7 metric tons of propellant; the center segment, with a length of 10.17 meters and 107.4 metric tons of propellant; and the 3.5-meter-long forward (upper) segment, loaded with 23.4 metric tons of propellant.

A propellant mix of 68 percent ammonium perchlorate (oxidizer), 18 percent aluminum (fuel), and 14 percent polybutadiene (binder) is used in the solid rocket motors.

The combustion process is initiated by a pyrotechnic device, and the solid propellant burns at a radial velocity (from the center outward) of approximately 7.4 mm/sec.

Flight control is provided by the boosters' movable nozzle, which is driven by hydraulically-controlled servoactuators.

Second Stage

The ESC-A second stage of Ariane 5 ECA rocket uses one HM7-B engine burning LH2/LOX.

HM7-B Wikipedia Article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HM7-B
Snecma HM7-B Marketing Brochure: http://www.snecma.com/IMG/pdf/Brochure_ ... pdf#page=8
Snecma HM7-B Technical Sheet: http://www.snecma.com/IMG/pdf/HM7B_Anglais.pdf
snecma HM7-B Product Page: http://www.snecma.com/spip.php?article120&lang=en

Guiana Launch Centre

Guiana Wikipedia Article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guiana_Space_Centre
Cnes CSG Official Page: http://www.cnes-csg.fr/web/CNES-CSG-en/ ... ersion.php
ESA's Europe's Spaceport Page: http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Launchers_E ... index.html
Arianespace Ariane 5 Launch Site Page: http://www.arianespace.com/spaceport-ar ... erview.asp
Google Maps: http://maps.google.com/maps?t=h&q=5.237 ... 55575&z=15

 

[EarthlingX]

Re: Oct. 28, Ariane 5-ECA - W3B & BSAT 3b

www.arianespace.com : Eutelsat’s W3B telecommunications satellite arrives for the next Ariane 5 launch

October 4, 2010 – Ariane Flight V197

The W3B satellite is unloaded from an Antonov An-124 cargo jetliner at Cayenne’s Rochambeau International Airport.

The Eutelsat W3B satellite for Arianespace’s upcoming Ariane 5 mission has arrived at the Spaceport, where it will undergo final checkout for its October 28 liftoff.

W3B was delivered to French Guiana last week aboard an Antonov An-124 cargo jetliner, and is now in one of the Spaceport’s clean rooms for its pre-launch validation.


Based on Thales Alenia Space’s 4000 platform, W3B will provide a wide range of relay services.

This latest payload to be launched by Arianespace for Eutelsat – Europe’s leading satellite operator – is designed for an operational lifetime of more than 15 years. To be located at an orbital position of 16 deg. East, W3B will renew and expand resources at a slot that reaches some of the most dynamic markets in the satellite business.

In addition to increasing the relay capacity for rapidly-expanding video platforms in Central Europe and Indian Ocean islands, W3B will initiate a new mission at the 16° East position – with bandwidth and coverage for telecommunications operators and Internet service providers in Africa to meet sustained demand for enterprise networks and GSM connectivity.

The satellite is based on Thales Alenia Space’s Spacebus 4000 platform and carries 56 transponders. Its liftoff mass will be 5.4 metric tons.

Arianespace’s October 28 mission also is to carry B-SAT Corporation’s BSAT-3b satellite, marking another of the heavy-lift Ariane 5’s dual-passenger flights. It will be the fourth of six launches with Ariane 5 that are targeted by Arianespace in 2010.

 

[EarthlingX]

Re: Oct. 28, Ariane 5-ECA - W3B & BSAT 3b

http://www.arianespace.com : Ariane 5 rolls out for its launch with the W3B and BSAT-3b satellites

October 27, 2010 - Ariane Flight 197

The heavy-lift Ariane 5 completes its rollout – approaching the Spaceport’s ELA-3 launch zone at left, where it was locked in position for tomorrow’s liftoff with the W3B and BSAT-3b satellites.

The Ariane 5 for Arianespace’s next mission has moved to the launch pad at Europe’s Spaceport, readying it for tomorrow’s liftoff with a dual payload of telecommunications satellites for Europe and Japan.

Emerging under clear French Guiana skies at 10:45 a.m. local time today, the heavy-lift Ariane 5 ECA was transferred during a one-hour process from the Spaceport’s Final Assembly Building to the launch zone.

Preparations now are underway for tomorrow’s final countdown, which will lead to liftoff during a launch window that opens at 6:51 p.m. local time and continues to 8:01 p.m.

Ariane 5’s payload lift performance for this mission is a total of 8,263 kg., which includes a mass of approximately 7,460 kg. for its satellite passengers, along with the associated integration hardware and the launcher’s SYLDA multi-payload dispenser system.

Riding as the upper passenger in Ariane 5’s payload “stack” is Eutelsat’s W3B, which will be released at just over 28 minutes into the flight. This Thales Alenia Space-built telecommunications spacecraft weighs approximately 5.4 metric tons and carries 56 transponders.

To be located at an orbital position of 16 deg. East, W3B will renew and expand resources at a slot that reaches some of the most dynamic markets in the satellite business.

The 2,060-kg. BSAT-3b spacecraft – which was manufactured by Lockheed Martin Commercial Systems for Japan’s B-SAT Corporation – will be deployed from Ariane 5’s lower passenger position at approximately 38 minutes into the flight. It is to provide direct television broadcast services from an orbital slot of 110 deg. East.

Tomorrow’s mission is designated 197, signifying the 197th launch of an Ariane family vehicle since 1979.

The October 28 mission also will be Ariane 5’s fourth flight of 2010, which follows three previous dual-payload launches: Arianespace’s August 4 flight with RASCOM-QAF 1R and NILESAT 201; the June 26 mission that orbited the Arabsat-5A and COMS spacecraft, and the May 21 launch with ASTRA 3B and COMSATBw-2.

Launch window for Ariane Flight 197

Universal time (GMT)
Between 9:51 p.m.
and 11:01 p.m. on October 28, 2010

...

 

[EarthlingX]

Re: Oct. 28, Ariane 5-ECA - W3B & BSAT 3b

2 hours to launch, live feed in 1h 42min.

Launch live video

 

[Nakun]

Re: Oct. 28, Ariane 5-ECA - W3B & BSAT 3b

One hour untill the live coverage begins.

 

[3488]

Re: Oct. 28, Ariane 5-ECA - W3B & BSAT 3b

Lovely shots just now of SRB sep & fairing jettison.

Altitude now 175 KM.

Andrew Brown.

 

[Nakun]

Re: Oct. 28, Ariane 5-ECA - W3B & BSAT 3b

Lovely shots just now of SRB sep & fairing jettison.

Indeed they were. It was kinda dissapointing to know they were from a mission four years ago. Still amazing though.

 

[3488]

Re: Oct. 28, Ariane 5-ECA - W3B & BSAT 3b

My sound card is busted, so although I can watch, I cannot hear anything.

Just coming out of a shallow 'dive' altitude increasing again. 183.5 KM altitude, speed: 8.01 KPS.

Andrew Brown.

 

[3488]

Re: Oct. 28, Ariane 5-ECA - W3B & BSAT 3b

Just about to start the steep 'climb'.

Altitude now: 225 KM speed: 8.38 KPS.

Andrew Brown.

 

[3488]

Re: Oct. 28, Ariane 5-ECA - W3B & BSAT 3b

W3B Eutelsat successfully released @ 1,351 KM altitude.

Andrew Brown.

 

[3488]

Re: Oct. 28, Ariane 5-ECA - W3B & BSAT 3b

B SAT 3-B cover released exposing B SAT 3-B to space @ 3,275 KM altitude.

Andrew Brown.

 

[3488]

Re: Oct. 28, Ariane 5-ECA - W3B & BSAT 3b

B SAT 3-B successfully released.

Successful launch is confirmed.

Andrew Brown.

 

[3488]

Re: Oct. 28, Ariane 5-ECA - W3B & BSAT 3b

Lovely shots just now of SRB sep & fairing jettison.

Indeed they were. It was kinda dissapointing to know they were from a mission four years ago. Still amazing though.

Welcome to SDC Nakun. Hope you stay with us. :mrgreen:

Great launch tonight, 100% successful.

Andrew Brown.

 

[EarthlingX]

Re: Oct. 28, Ariane 5-ECA - W3B & BSAT 3b (launched 28 Oct 2010)

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2a16QjWPTQ[/youtube]

Kowch737 | October 29, 2010

The fourth Ariane 5 mission of 2010 successfully delivered two telecommunications satellites to geostationary transfer orbit today, marking the 53rd flight for Arianespace's heavy-lift workhorse and its 39th consecutive success. Lifting off on time at 6:51 p.m. from the Spaceport's ELA-3 launch zone in French Guiana, the Ariane 5 deployed its W3B and BSAT-3b passengers during a flight lasting just under 38 minutes. The launcher's payload lift performance was approximately 8,260 kg., which included a combined 7,460 kg. mass for the two satellites, along with Ariane 5's SYLDA 5 multi-payload dispenser system and associated integration hardware.

 

[EarthlingX]

Re: Oct. 28, Ariane 5-ECA - W3B & BSAT 3b (launched 28 Oct 2010)

http://www.arianespace.com : Ariane 5's latest success: W3B and BSAT-3b are orbited on the fourth Arianespace heavy-lift mission of 2010

October 28, 2010 – Ariane Flight 197

The fourth Ariane 5 mission of 2010 successfully delivered two telecommunications satellites to geostationary transfer orbit today, marking the 53rd flight for Arianespace’s heavy-lift workhorse and its 39th consecutive success.


Ariane 5 makes an on-time liftoff from the ELA-3 launch zone with its dual payload of the W3B and BSAT-3b satellites.

Lifting off on time at 6:51 p.m. from the Spaceport’s ELA-3 launch zone in French Guiana, the Ariane 5 deployed its W3B and BSAT-3b passengers during a flight lasting just under 38 minutes. The launcher’s payload lift performance was approximately 8,260 kg., which included a combined 7,460 kg. mass for the two satellites, along with Ariane 5’s SYLDA 5 multi-payload dispenser system and associated integration hardware.

“With this evening’s success, we already have launched eight large telecommunications satellites since the beginning of 2010, which is more than all of our competitors combined,” said Arianespace Chairman & CEO Jean-Yves Le Gall. “This follows our Soyuz mission last week, performed from Baikonur by our friends at Starsem, which orbited six constellation satellites – all of which shows the relevance, efficiency and availability of our launcher family.”

Ariane 5 delivered another highly accurate performance in tonight’s mission, with the following provisional orbital parameters at the injection of its cryogenic upper stage:
- Perigee: 249.2 km. for a target of 249.3 km.
- Apogee: 35,907 km. for a target of 35,911 km.
- Inclination: 2.00 deg. for a target of 2.00 deg.

The 5,370-kg. W3B satellite for Eutelsat was deployed on tonight’s Ariane 5 flight was deployed at 28 minutes into the mission, marking a new step in Arianespace’s uninterrupted relationship with Europe’s leading satellite operator, which has spanned more than 25 years.

W3B is the 25th Eutelsat satellite orbited by Arianespace, and it will offer significant flexibility for a wide range of services from TV broadcasting to professional data networks and broadband access.

Based on Thales Alenia Space’s 4000 spacecraft platform, W3B will have a coverage area over Europe, the Middle East, Central Asia, Africa and the Indian Ocean Islands, with an operational design lifetime of 15 years. It initially will be located at 16 deg. East, followed by a move to an orbital slot of 7 deg. East for collocation with Eutelsat’s W3A satellite.

The BSAT-3b satellite launched by Arianespace today was lofted for Lockheed Martin Commercial Space Systems on behalf of Japan’s B-SAT Corporation. This was the seventh B-SAT spacecraft orbited by Arianespace. Manufactured using Lockheed Martin’s A2100 A platform, the 2,060-kg. relay satellite is fitted with 12 130-watt Ku-band channels – with eight operating at a time. B-SAT will deliver direct-to-home television programming to Japan during its planned 15-year-plus lifetime.

“Japan is one of the major partners of our company,” explained Le Gall. “Out of a total of 36 Japanese satellites open to competition for launch services, we have signed 27 of the contracts. And for the past several years, we have won 100 percent of the market – which really is quite significant.”

The next Ariane 5 mission is set for November 25 with another heavy-lift launch, carrying the Intelsat 17 and HYLAS 1 satellites. It will be followed by one additional mission of this workhorse vehicle before the end of 2010.

...


http://www.esa.int : Ariane 5’s fourth launch of 2010 (video)

29 October 2010



Last night, an Ariane 5 lifted off from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana on a journey to place two telecommunications satellites, W3B and BSAT-3b, into orbit. Flight V197 was Ariane 5’s fourth dual-payload mission of the year.

Liftoff of the 53rd Ariane 5 mission came at 23:51 CEST (21:51 GMT; 18:51 French Guiana). The target injection orbit had a perigee altitude of 250 km, an apogee altitude at injection of 35 913 km and an inclination of 2º.

The satellites were accurately injected into their transfer orbits about 28 minutes and 37 minutes after liftoff, respectively.

W3B will be positioned in ‘geostationary orbit’ above the equator at 30.5°E and will provide a wide range of services, from TV broadcasting to professional data networks and broadband access in Europe, the Middle East, Central Asia, Africa and islands in the Indian Ocean.

BSAT-3b, to be positioned over 110°E, will provide direct-to-home broadcasting services in Japan using eight 130-watt Ku-band transponders.

Satellites in a circular orbit with an altitude of 35 800 km keep pace with Earth’s rotation and appear stationary when observed from the ground, hence 'geostationary'.

The payload mass for this launch was approximately 8260 kg; the satellite masses totalled 7460 kg, with payload adapters and dispensers making up the additional 800 kg.

(launch video)

Arianespace and Europe’s Spaceport are planning two more Ariane launches in 2010, maintaining the heavy-lift vehicle’s flight rate. The ability to sustain high launch rates has been demonstrated: during the 12-month period from August 2007 to August 2008 there were nine launches (V177 – V185).

V197 flight timeline

The Ariane 5’s cryogenic, liquid-propellant main engine was ignited first. Seven seconds later, the solid-propellant boosters were also fired, and the vehicle lifted off a fraction of a second later.

The solid boosters were jettisoned 2 min 22 sec after main engine ignition, and the fairing protecting the payload during the climb through Earth’s atmosphere was discarded at 3 min 9 sec. The launcher’s main engine was shut down at 8 min 50 sec; six seconds later, the main cryogenic stage separated from the upper stage and its payload.

Ten seconds after main stage separation, the engine of the cryogenic upper stage was ignited to continue the journey. The engine was shut down at 24 min 47 sec into the flight, at which point the vehicle was travelling at 9358 m/s (33 689 km/h) at an altitude of 646 km. Geostationary transfer orbit had been achieved.

At 28 min 11 sec after main engine ignition, W3B separated from the upper stage, followed by BSAT-3b at 37 min 50 sec. Ariane 5’s flight operations were completed 49 min 50 sec after main engine ignition.

 

[EarthlingX]

Re: Oct. 28, Ariane 5-ECA - W3B & BSAT 3b (launched 28 Oct 2010)

www.physorg.com : Eutelsat loses just-launched television satellite

October 29, 2010

European satellite operator Eutelsat said Friday it had lost its W3B television satellite the day after it was launched by an Ariane rocket because of an "anomaly".

"Eutelsat Communications announces the loss of the W3B satellite following an anomaly which was detected on the satellite's propulsion subsystem after its launch," the company said in a statement.

"The loss of W3B is a disappointment for Eutelsat and for our customers," said Eutelsat's chief executive Michel de Rosen, in the statement.

"Our attention is now focused on delivering the W3C satellite in mid-2011 and on initiating a new programme to compensate for this loss."

The 5.3-tonne W3B satellite was made by French group Thales Alenia Space and was to provide television coverage in central Europe and the Indian Ocean plus high-speed Internet and mobile telephone access in Africa.

It was the 25th satellite launched by the Arianespace agency for Eutelsat, the Paris-based company which operates satellites in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Eutelsat's shares fell 3.46 percent on the Paris stock exchange after the announcement. The company said it was insured against financial loss from losing the satellite.

W3B was scheduled to replace three existing Eutelsat satellites. These will remain in place until mid-2011 when they will be replaced by a new satellite, W3C, Eutelsat said.

"Eutelsat will also immediately initiate a new satellite programme, called W3D, for a planned launch in the first quarter of 2013."

Arianespace said on Thursday its Ariane 5 rocket had successfully launched W3B for Eutelsat as well as a two-tonne BSAT-3b satellite from its base in Guyana.

The BSAT-3b is to provide television coverage in Japan for the Broadcasting Satellite System Corporation. It was manufactured by US firm Lockheed Martin Commercial Space Systems.

(c) 2010 AFP

 

[EarthlingX]

Re: Oct. 28, Ariane 5-ECA - W3B & BSAT 3b (launched 28 Oct 2010)

www.prnewswire.com : Eutelsat Statement on Loss of W3B Satellite

PARIS, October 29, 2010 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Eutelsat Communications (Euronext Paris: ETL) announces the loss of the W3B satellite following an anomaly which was detected on the satellite's propulsion subsystem after its launch by an Ariane 5 rocket.

W3B was scheduled to be located at 16 degrees East to replace Eutelsat's EUROBIRD(TM) 16, W2M and SESAT 1 satellites. With the loss of W3B, the three satellites will now remain in full service at 16 degrees East until the arrival of W3C, whose launch is on track for mid-2011. Eutelsat will also immediately initiate a new satellite programme, called W3D, for a planned launch in the first quarter of 2013.

Michel de Rosen, CEO of Eutelsat Communications, commented: "The loss of W3B is a disappointment for Eutelsat and for our customers. We share it with our partners, in particular Thales Alenia Space and with the insurance community. Our attention is now focused on delivering the W3C satellite to 16 degrees East in mid-2011 and on initiating a new programme to compensate for this loss."

Eutelsat is fully insured for the investment in W3B, which guarantees that the Group does not incur any direct financial loss. The non-availability of W3B does not change the financial guidance issued by the company on 30 July 2010.

About Eutelsat Communications

Eutelsat Communications (Euronext Paris: ETL, ISIN code: FR0010221234) is the holding company of Eutelsat S.A.. With capacity commercialised on 26 satellites that provide coverage over the entire European continent, as well as the Middle East, Africa, India and significant parts of Asia and the Americas, Eutelsat is one of the world's three leading satellite operators in terms of revenues. At 30 June 2010, Eutelsat's satellites were broadcasting more than 3,600 television channels. More than 1,100 channels broadcast via its HOT BIRD(TM) video neighbourhood at 13 degrees East which serves over 120 million cable and satellite homes in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. The Group's satellites also serve a wide range of fixed and mobile telecommunications services, TV contribution markets, corporate networks, and broadband markets for Internet Service Providers and for transport, maritime and in-flight markets. Eutelsat's broadband subsidiary, Skylogic, markets and operates access to high speed internet services through teleports in France and Italy that serve enterprises, local communities, government agencies and aid organisations in Europe, Africa, Asia and the Americas. Headquartered in Paris, Eutelsat and its subsidiaries employ nearly 661 commercial, technical and operational employees from 28 countries.

http://www.eutelsat.com

SOURCE Eutelsat Communications

 

[EarthlingX]

Ariane 5-ECA - W3B & BSAT 3b (launched 28 Oct 2010)

SDC : Brand New Satellite Declared Dead After Launch

By Peter B. de Selding
Space News
posted: 29 October 2010
11:08 am ET

PARIS — A communications satellite launched Thursday (Oct. 28) has been declared a total loss following the discovery of a sizable leak in its fuel reservoir, and ground teams are now scrambling to determine whether they can raise the satellite into a graveyard orbit or must guide it into the atmosphere to be destroyed, the satellite's owner and builder said.

Europe's Ariane 5 ECA rocket, in what appeared to be a smooth flight, placed the 5,370-kilogram satellite – the Eutelsat W3B – into a transfer orbit with a perigee of 249.2 kilometers and an apogee of 35,907 kilometers, which was the satellite's intended destination.

From this transfer position, spacecraft use their own power to circularize their orbit in the days following launch to reach final geostationary position about 36,000 kilometers over the equator.

Whether it will be possible, or advisable, to conduct the series of firings of the satellite's on-board engine needed to raise the spacecraft into a graveyard orbit at least 250 kilometers above the geostationary arc, out of the way of most working satellites, remained unclear in the early morning hours following the launch at the Guiana Space Center in French Guiana, said Emmanuel Grave, executive vice president for telecommunications satellites at Thales Alenia Space, which built the satellite.

In an interview, Grave said the leak in the oxidizer tank is too large to have escaped notice as the satellite was being prepared for integration into the Ariane 5 rocket alongside Japan's BSat-3b satellite, which was launched at the same time and is reported in good health.

Teams from Thales Alenia Space and Paris-based Eutelsat tracking the satellite after its separation from the Ariane 5 upper stage from a control center in Rambouillet, France, duly noted that it sent the expected signals once in orbit. But soon after, the satellite's telemetry also disclosed a leak in the propellant system that is so large that there is no hope of squeezing even a limited commercial life from W3B.

Grave said the priority now is to determine how best to dispose of W3B. From transfer orbit, the spacecraft is not within radio contact of ground teams for long periods. Decisions must be made as to how much fuel life is available, and whether that fuel should be used to raise W3B's perigee to provide a more-stable orbit, or guide it into a controlled destructive atmospheric reentry, perhaps over the South Pacific Ocean.

...

In an Oct. 29 statement, Eutelsat said it will immediately order a new satellite, to be called W3D, as a result of the loss of W3B. The company will also keep at their current location at 16 degrees west the three satellites that W3B was intended to replace.

A nearly identical satellite, called W3C, is under construction at Thales Alenia Space and scheduled for launch, aboard a Chinese Long March rocket, in mid-2011.

...

 

[EarthlingX]

www.lockheedmartin.com : All Systems Are Nominal Aboard Lockheed Martin Bsat-3b Satellite Following Oct. 28 Launch

NEWTOWN, Pa., November 4th, 2010 -- All systems are nominal aboard the BSAT-3b broadcasting satellite, designed and built by Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] for Broadcasting Satellite System Corporation (B-SAT) of Japan. The satellite was launched Oct. 28 from Kourou, French Guiana at 5:51 p.m. EDT aboard an Ariane 5-ECA launch vehicle provided by Arianespace of Evry, France. Initial contact with the satellite was confirmed shortly afterward at 6:52 p.m. EDT from Lockheed Martin's satellite tracking station in Uralla, Australia. Ground controllers continue to command the spacecraft, the propulsion system has been pressurized and all liquid apogee engine (LAE) burns have been successfully concluded.

Reflector and solar array deployments are completed and the in-orbit testing plan remains on schedule. Spacecraft maneuvers over the next week will place BSAT-3b in its proper orbital location at 110 degrees East longitude. Lockheed Martin expects to hand over BSAT-3b to B-SAT by the end of 2010 following bus and payload testing.

BSAT-3b features 12 130 W Ku-band channels, eight operating simultaneously. With a design life of 15 years, BSAT-3b is based on the A2100A platform manufactured by Lockheed Martin Commercial Space Systems (LMCSS), Newtown, Pa. The satellite is comprised entirely of equipment based on proven A2100 designs and flight heritage, enhancing reliability on orbit. Lockheed Martin successfully built and launched BSAT-3a for B-SAT in August 2007 and is currently constructing BSAT-3c/JCSAT-110R, which is scheduled for launch in the second quarter of 2011.

...

 

[EarthlingX]

www.spacenews.com : Failed W3B Satellite To Remain in Orbit for Decades

Fri, 5 November, 2010

By Peter B. de Selding

PARIS — The Eutelsat W3B satellite declared a total loss less than 24 hours after its Oct. 28 launch because of a leak in its propulsion system will spend the next 20-30 years in its parking orbit following ground teams’ inability to guide it into a controlled atmospheric re-entry, satellite manufacturer Thales Alenia Space said Nov. 5.

The company said that it has rendered the satellite inert to the extent possible — emptying its helium pressurization tank and whatever fuel remains in liquid state and can be discharged, as well as draining its batteries — to minimize the likelihood that W3B explodes on contact with any orbital debris it may encounter in its elliptical orbit.

The satellite, which weighed 5,370 kilograms at launch, developed a large leak in a line delivering oxidizer to the propellant tank at some point between lifting off aboard an Ariane 5 ECA rocket from Europe’s Guiana Space Center in French Guiana, and when it was released into orbit.

...