Eutelsat 3D

Launch data:

Spacecraft data:

Description:

• In December 2011 Eutelsat announced, that their satellite assets will be renamed under a unified brand name effective from March 2012. W3C and W3D will become Eutelsat 16A an Eutelsat 7B respectively. Eutelsat 7B was later renamed Eutelsat 3D, when it was reasigned to the 3 deg East to address high-growth video, data, telecom and broadband markets. It will serve customers in Europe, North Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia through a configuration of Ku and Ka transponders connected to three footprints. A fourth service area in the Ku-band will serve markets in sub-Saharan Africa. EUTELSAT 3D will operate at 3 deg East until the deployment of the EUTELSAT 3B satellite to this position in 2014 to provide spectrum growth and high levels of operational flexibility in C, Ku and Ka bands. It will subsequently continue service at 7 deg East.

Mission details:

• Launch delayed from April 26.
• International Launch Services launched the Eutelsat 3D satellite on a Khrunichev Proton-M on May 14, 2013 into a 6782 x 35741 km x 17.6 deg geostationary transfer orbit. The Briz-M stage then maneuvered to a 5866 x 34205 km x 18.0 deg orbit, with the DTB drop tank in a 335 x 18231 km x 49.5 deg orbit.
• Eutelsat 3D, for the Paris-based Eutelsat European satellite communications company, uses a Thales Alenia Spacebus 4000 spacecraft bus and has Ku-band and Ka-band transponders. It will be stationed temporarily at 3 deg East until replaced by Eutelsat 3B, and then will move to 7 deg E where it will probably be renamed to Eutelsat 7B.

Satellite tracking: