Athena-Fidus

Spacecraft nº:

France, Italian spacecraft nº: 70/33

Launch data: Designation  39509 / 14006B Launch date  06 Febr 2014 - 21:30 UT (6:30 pm GFT) Launch site  Ko, ELA-3 Launch vehicle  Ariane-5ECA (VA-217) Mission  Mil. Communication Geostationary orbit: Perigee / Apogee  256 x 35748 km Eccentricity   Inclination  6.0 ° Period  631.1 min

Spacecraft data: Prime manufacturer  Thales Alenia Space Platform  Spacebus-4000B2 Operator  DGA, CNES, Segredifesa, ASI Mass at launch  ~3000 kg Dry Mass   kg Basic shape   Dimension (m)   Equipment  EHF/Ka-band transponders Solar array  2 deployable solar arrays Stabilization   Propulsion   DC power   Design lifetime  15 yrs

Technicians lift the Athena-Fidus spacecraft inside a clean room in French Guiana. Credit: ESA/CNES/Arianespace

Technicians position the ABS-2 satellite atop the SYLDA, preparatory to installing the payload shroud. Photo Credit: Arianespace

Description:

• Athena-Fidus is a French-Italian geosynchronous military and governmental EHF/Ka-band wideband communications satellite capable of data transfer rates of up to 3 Gb per second.
• The Athena-Fidus program is being managed by French Defense Procurement Agency (DGA) and Space Agency (CNES) and the Italian Defense Procurement Agency (Segredifesa) and the Space Agency (ASI). CNES signed in February 2010 a contract over 275 million euros with Thales Alenia Space for the construction of the satellite. Once operational, the system will be used by both the French, Belgian and Italian armed forces as well as the civil protection services of France and Italy.

Mission details:

• Arianespace launched vehicle 572, an Ariane 5ECA model, to geostationary transfer orbit on Feb 8, 2014. It carried two satellites - ABS 2 for Hong-Kong-based Asia Broadcast Satellite, and Athena-Fidus.

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