Eutelsat 115 West B

Spacecraft nº:

Eutelsat spacecraft nº: 45

Launch data: Designation  40425 / 15010B Launch date  02 Mar 2015 - 03:50 UT Launch site  CC, SLC-40 Launch vehicle  Falcon-9 v1.1 Mission  Communications Geostationary orbit: Perigee / Apogee  360 x 63379 km Eccentricity   Inclination   24.8° Period   min

Description:

• Satelites Mexicanos S.A.B. de C.V. (Satmex) announced in March 2012, that it has contracted with the construction of Satmex 7 to Boeing Satellite Systems. The new satellite will provide Fixed Satellite Services (FSS) in the Americas. SATMEX was acquired be Eutelsat in 2014 and was rebranded Eutelsat Americas. In May 2014, it was renamed Eutelsat 115 West B.
• EUTE 115 WEST B is a geostationary satellite located at 114.9 degrees West longitude over Latin America. The satellite, fitted with 34 Ku-band and 12 C-band transponders, will replace a former Satmex spacecraft launched in December 1998 and reach customers in a wide swath of the Americas from Alaska to Patagonia. It also carries an instrument package for the Federal Aviation Administration to improve air navigation over the United States.

Mission details:

• SpaceX launched the 16th Falcon 9 on Mar 2, 2015 carrying a dual communications satellite payload to supersynchronous transfer orbit.
• Falcon 9 reached a 174 x 953 km parking orbit 9 min after launch, and then made a second burn over the equator to reach about 391 x 63452 km x 24.8 deg. This orbit appears to be about 500 km lower in apogee (corresponding to only 10 meters per second shortfall in velocity) than planned.
• The two payloads were 2000 kg Boeing BSS-702SP models with XIPS-25 ion thrusters as their main propulsion system. ABS-3A, for Asia Broadcast Satellite of Hong Kong, was launched directly attached to the lower satellite, Eutelsat 115 West B, until it separated from the stack following stage 2 second cutoff. Eutelsat 115 West B is owned by Eutelsat Americas (Mexico City), and was called Satmex 7. Satmex was taken over by Europe's Eutelsat and renamed Eutelsat Americas in Mar 2014.

External links:

• Satellite tracking: Real time satellite tracking