EUTELSAT 25B (nown as Es'hail 1 by Qatar) will broadcast television and other services over a swath of the Middle East and
North Africa. The spacecraft, built by Space Systems/Loral in Palo Alto, Calif., is beginning a 15-year mission with Ku-band and
Ka-band transponders. Designed to serve commercial customers and offer secure communications to the government of Qatar, the satellite
will be positioned at 25.5 degrees east longitude for a 15-year mission. It is Qatar's first national satellite, giving Qatar
independent access to television, voice, Internet and corporate communications services, while extending Eutelsat's product offerings
in the region.
Mission details:
An Ariane 5ECA placed two communications satellites in a 238 x 35777 km x 3.5 deg geostationary transfer orbit on Aug 29, 2013.
GSAT-7, also known as Insat-4F, will provide communications for the Indian Navy. Eutelsat-25B, also called Es'hail 1, is jointly
owned by Eutelsat SA of Paris and Es'hailsat. Es'hailsat is a spinoff of ictQATAR, the Qatari Supreme Council of Information and
Communications Technology. The satellite's name means Canopus (the star Alpha Car).
The EPC 570 core stage flew a -969 x 161 km x 6.5 deg trajectory across the Atlantic and reentered; the ESC-A upper stage made
a single burn to the lower inclination transfer orbit. The flight used launch vehicle L570 and the mission was designated VA215.
On Sep 10 GSAT-7 Es'hail was in a 35784 x 35788 km x 0.1 deg orbit on station at 31.7E.