Thuraya 1

United Arab Emirates

Spacecraft n°:

UAE satellite n°: 1

Launch data:

Designation	26578 / 00066A
Launch date	21 Oct 2000 - 05:52 UT
Launch site	Odyssey
Launch vehicle	Zenit-3SL (#5)
Mission	Communications
Geostationary orbit:

Spacecraft data:

Prime contractor	Hughe --> Boeing Satellite Development
Platform	HS-GEM (Geomobile)
Operator	Thuraya Satellite Telecommunications Co.
Mass at launch	5108 kg
Dry Mass	kg
Basic shape
Dimension (m)
Solar array	2 wings of 4 panels each w/dual-junction gallium arsenide cells
DC power	13 kw (BOL), 12 kw (EOL)
Payload: L-band	128 active elements 17-w SSPAs
Payload: C-band	2 active (2 spare) feeder link 125-w TWTAs
Design lifetime	12 years

Location:

Date	Position	Remarks
	44° E, inclined 6.3°

Description:

Thuraya-1 is the first satellite in the Boeing GEM series. This product line expands Boeing's offerings beyond satellite manufacturing, to integrate a high-power geosynchronous satellite (derived from the Boeing 702 body-stabilized design) with a ground segment and user handsets, to provide a range of cellular-like voice and data services over a large geographic region. The Thuraya ground segment includes terrestrial gateways plus a collocated network operations center and satellite control facility in the UAE.
Thuraya offers GSM-compatible mobile telephone services, transmitting and receiving calls through a single 12.25-meter-aperture reflector. The satellite employs state-of-the-art on-board digital signal processing to create more than 200 spot beams that can be redirected on-orbit, allowing the Thuraya system to adapt to business demands in real time. Calls are routed directly from one handheld unit to another, or to a terrestrial network. The system has the capacity for 13,750 simultaneous voice circuits.

Inmarsat has leased capacity on the satellite to provide mobile broadband service at 144 kbps.
The digital signal processor, five times more capable than any previous digital processor produced by the satellite manufacturer, has more computing power than 3,000 Pentium III-based computers

This satellite has faulty solar panels that may affect its lifetime.

Ref: #7, #14, #71, #78a - update: 27.10.04