Astra 1B
Encyclopedia
Astra 1B was the second satellite
launched and operated by Société Européenne des Satellites (SES), now SES Astra
. It was bought during its construction from GE Americom, and was launched to add extra capacity to the satellite television
services from 19.2° east
, serving Germany
, the UK
and Republic of Ireland
.
It was believed to have been launched in a faulty condition, and suffered a thruster failure early in its life, causing minor drift, meaning that it became permanently difficult to obtain a steady lock on the satellite. This was most notable on analogue
transmissions where the picture would move from clear to carrying sparklies
and back again.
Along with Astra 1C
, Astra 1B was to be replaced in 2002 with Astra 1K
, which failed to launch successfully, and as a result it continued to serve a longer life than expected, only falling from use when digital television
on Astra 2A
removed the majority of UK and Ireland targeted channels from 19.2° east.
From 2005, SES Astra claimed that the satellite was in use for VSAT services, however no transponders were powered, and the satellite drifted to around 19.5° east. One transponder was reactivated in October 2005, but was carrying only colour bars.
On June 16, 2006 SES Astra confirmed that Astra 1B would be decommissioned and de-orbited within weeks after Astra 1KR
, the satellite which would replace Astra 1B and 1C, reached the operational orbital position of 19.2° east. It was officially end-of-lifed on July 14, 2006; close to four years after it had ceased carrying signals, ending SES's claims that the craft was operational.
Communications satellite
A communications satellite is an artificial satellite stationed in space for the purpose of telecommunications...
launched and operated by Société Européenne des Satellites (SES), now SES Astra
SES Astra
Astra is the name for the geostationary communication satellites, both individually and as a group, which are owned and operated by SES S.A., a global satellite operator based in Betzdorf, in eastern Luxembourg. The name is sometimes also used to describe the channels broadcasting from these...
. It was bought during its construction from GE Americom, and was launched to add extra capacity to the satellite television
Satellite television
Satellite television is television programming delivered by the means of communications satellite and received by an outdoor antenna, usually a parabolic mirror generally referred to as a satellite dish, and as far as household usage is concerned, a satellite receiver either in the form of an...
services from 19.2° east
Astra 19.2°E
Astra 19.2°E is the name for the group of communications satellites co-located at the 19.2°East orbital position in the Clarke Belt that are owned and operated by SES Astra, a subsidiary of SES based in Betzdorf, Luxembourg....
, serving Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
.
It was believed to have been launched in a faulty condition, and suffered a thruster failure early in its life, causing minor drift, meaning that it became permanently difficult to obtain a steady lock on the satellite. This was most notable on analogue
Analog television
Analog television is the analog transmission that involves the broadcasting of encoded analog audio and analog video signal: one in which the message conveyed by the broadcast signal is a function of deliberate variations in the amplitude and/or frequency of the signal...
transmissions where the picture would move from clear to carrying sparklies
Sparklies
Sparklies is a formal term, as used by British Sky Broadcasting and a number of hardware makers including Amstrad and Pace, for interference on analogue satellite television transmissions....
and back again.
Along with Astra 1C
Astra 1C
Astra 1C was the third communications satellite launched by the Société Européenne des Satellites , now SES Astra. It is the oldest Astra satellite still in operation, although it currently carries few services...
, Astra 1B was to be replaced in 2002 with Astra 1K
Astra 1K
Astra 1K was a communications satellite manufactured by Alcatel Space for SES Astra. When it was launched on November 25, 2002 it was the largest civilian communications satellite ever launched, weighing...
, which failed to launch successfully, and as a result it continued to serve a longer life than expected, only falling from use when digital television
Digital television
Digital television is the transmission of audio and video by digital signals, in contrast to the analog signals used by analog TV...
on Astra 2A
Astra 2A
Astra 2A is a communications satellite owned by SES Astra. Launched in 1998, half its expected end-of-life capacity of 28 transponders were pre-booked by BSkyB, who utilised it to launch their new Sky Digital service...
removed the majority of UK and Ireland targeted channels from 19.2° east.
From 2005, SES Astra claimed that the satellite was in use for VSAT services, however no transponders were powered, and the satellite drifted to around 19.5° east. One transponder was reactivated in October 2005, but was carrying only colour bars.
On June 16, 2006 SES Astra confirmed that Astra 1B would be decommissioned and de-orbited within weeks after Astra 1KR
Astra 1KR
Astra 1KR is a geostationary satellite owned by SES Astra. It was launched in April 2006 as a replacement for Astra 1K, which failed to reach orbit on launch in 2002...
, the satellite which would replace Astra 1B and 1C, reached the operational orbital position of 19.2° east. It was officially end-of-lifed on July 14, 2006; close to four years after it had ceased carrying signals, ending SES's claims that the craft was operational.
Transponders
| Transponder | Frequency | Channels carried |
|---|---|---|
| 17 | 11,464 H | Premiere Premiere (pay television network) Sky Deutschland AG, branded as Sky, is a German media company which operates the first pay television platform in Germany and Austria, offering several channels of digital content via satellite and cable.... (1991–2003), Sonnenklar TV (2003-) |
| 18 | 11,479 V | The Movie Channel The Movie Channel (UK) For the unrelated American service, see The Movie ChannelThe Movie Channel was a British television channel, which only showed movies. Launched on BSB in 1990, The Movie Channel was a predecessor of some of the Sky Movies channels, having survived the merger with Sky Television, another satellite... (1991–1997), Sky Movies Screen 2 (1997–1998), Sky Moviemax (1998–2001) |
| 19 | 11,494 H | Eins Plus (1991–1993), Das Erste Das Erste Erstes Deutsches Fernsehen , marketed as Das Erste , is the principal publicly owned television channel in Germany... (1993-) |
| 20 | 11,509 V | Sky Sports Sky Sports Sky Sports is the brand name for a group of sports-oriented television channels operated by the UK and Ireland's main satellite pay-TV company, British Sky Broadcasting. Sky Sports is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland... (1991–2001) |
| 21 | 11,523 H | Tele 5 Tele 5 Tele 5 is a commercial television channel in Germany. The channel is largely known for showing classic American films and series, Japanese Anime and Shows.Tele 5 broadcasts from the Astra 1H, 1M, and 3A satellites and is uplinked by ASTRA Platform Services.... (1991–1992), DSF DSF DSF can mean:* Deutsches Sportfernsehen, a German TV channel for sport* Democratic Students' Front, an independent political students' organisation of Jadavpur University* DSF Refractories & Minerals Ltd, a British refractory brick manufacturer... (1993-) |
| 22 | 11,538 V | Eurosport Eurosport Eurosport is a pan-European television sport network operated by French broadcaster TF1 Group. The network of channels are available in 59 countries, in 20 different languages providing viewers with European and international sporting events... (1991–1992), MTV Europe MTV Europe MTV Europe is a pan-European 24-hour entertainment cable and digital television network launched on August 1, 1987. Initially, the channel served all regions within Europe being one of the very few channels that targeted the entire European continent... (1992–1994), VH1 UK VH1 UK VH1 is a specialist music television channel from MTV Networks Europe. The channel broadcasts into the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. The channel is based on the original VH1 American channel of the same name... (1994–2001) |
| 23 | 11,553 H | Astra Video (1991), FilmNet Filmnet Nova Cinema is a premium television service available in Greece that broadcasts blockbuster movies and hit series. It is the only 24/7 Movie service in Greece and it launched in 1994. It is owned by Forthnet, who own and operate Nova a DTH satellite service and Nova Sports—a sports channel.Nova... (1991–1992), UK Gold (1992–2001), What's In Store (?-1997), Screenshop Screenshop Screenshop is a British digital television channel, owned by Sit-up Ltd. It is an infomercial-based shopping channel, selling a wide variety of products from TV Warehouse. On Virgin Media and Sky, the channel has a 7 hour stream of its own, and additionally it broadcasts daily 1.30am to 7.45am,... (1997-2001) Tele 5 Tele 5 Tele 5 is a commercial television channel in Germany. The channel is largely known for showing classic American films and series, Japanese Anime and Shows.Tele 5 broadcasts from the Astra 1H, 1M, and 3A satellites and is uplinked by ASTRA Platform Services.... (2002-) |
| 24 | 11,568 V | JSTV JSTV is a Japanese broadcaster in the Middle East, Europe, Russia and North Africa. Launched in March 1990, broadcasting from London, the channel has broadcast for two hours each night from 8pm on the Lifestyle transponder 5 on the Astra 1A satellite in analogue format... (1991-2001), The Children's Channel The Children's Channel The Children's Channel, also known as TCC, was a television station in the United Kingdom, Benelux and Scandinavia, which was owned by Flextech . It began broadcasting on 1 September 1984, and was closed on 3 April 1998... (1991-1993), CMT Europe CMT Europe CMT Europe was a European television channel. It was a European version of Country Music Television.The channel started in 1992. It was closed down on March 31, 1998 after substantial losses.... (1994–1996), Sky Soap Sky Soap Sky Soap was a British Sky Broadcasting channel that showed a mix of American and British soap operas, including Emmerdale and Take the High Road.... (1997–1999), The History Channel UK The History Channel UK History is a pan-European television channel broadcasting programmes related to historical events and persons, owned by a joint-venture between A&E Television Networks, owner of the American History, and British Sky Broadcasting, the UK's largest pay-TV provider.-History:The channel was launched... (1997–2001), Sci-fi Channel UK (1997–2001) |
| 25 | 11,582 H | Nord 3 (1991–2001), NDR Fernsehen NDR Fernsehen NDR Fernsehen is a regional television channel targeting northern Germany, specifically the states of Schleswig-Holstein, Lower Saxony, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Hamburg and Bremen. It is broadcast by both Norddeutscher Rundfunk and Radio Bremen, although NDR provides most of the output as they are... (2001-) |
| 26 | 11,597 V | Astra Info (1990-1991), Comedy Channel The Comedy Channel (UK) The Comedy Channel was a United Kingdom subscription television channel during the early 1990s.The channel launched soon after the merger of Sky Television plc and British Satellite Broadcasting... (1991), TV Asia TV Asia "TV Asia" was the first Asian TV channel to be founded in the UK in 1990. It was Europe's first entertainment and information channel for the South Asian community from the Indian subcontinent. TV Asia was conceptualised & founded by Wasim Mehmood and Mohan Thariyan... (1991-1994) The Adult Channel The Adult Channel The Adult Channel is a broadcast just for adults pay-per-view cable/satellite/IPTV channel available in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland, replacing the Home Video Channel on 30th June 1999... (1992), Sky Movies Gold (1992-1997), Disney Channel UK (1995–2001), Sky Box Office 1 (1997-2001) |
| 27 | 11,612 H | TV3 Denmark (1991–1996), VH1 Germany/Nickelodeon Germany Nickelodeon Germany Nickelodeon , known on-air only as Nickelodeon, is a television channel for kids in Germany, part of the international Nickelodeon franchise. Launched on 2005, Nickelodeon Germany is based in Berlin... (-1998), MTV Germany (1999-) |
| 28 | 11,627 V | CNN International CNN International CNN International is an international English language television network that carries news, current affairs, politics, opinions, and business programming worldwide. CNN is one of the world's largest news organizations. It is owned by Time Warner, and is affiliated with CNN, which is mainly... (1992-) |
| 29 | 11,641 H | TV3 Denmark (1991),Astra Info (1992), n-tv N-tv n-tv is a German television news channel owned by the Bertelsmann AG Media's RTL Group and an affiliate network of CNN since the networks creation in 1992.... (1992-) |
| 30 | 11,656 V | Cinemanía Cinemania Cinemania may refer to:*Cinemania , a French-language film festival that takes place in Montreal*Cinemania , a 2002 German/US documentary about five obsessed cinemaphiles... (1992-1997), Astra Video (1992) ORB Fernsehen (1997-) |
| 31 | 11,671 H | TV3 Norway (1991–1996) Sky Sports 3 (1996–2001) |
| 32 | 11,686 V | Documanía (1992–1996), Sportsmanía (1996-?), BR alpha (1998-) |
See also
- SES AstraSES AstraAstra is the name for the geostationary communication satellites, both individually and as a group, which are owned and operated by SES S.A., a global satellite operator based in Betzdorf, in eastern Luxembourg. The name is sometimes also used to describe the channels broadcasting from these...
- Astra 19.2°EAstra 19.2°EAstra 19.2°E is the name for the group of communications satellites co-located at the 19.2°East orbital position in the Clarke Belt that are owned and operated by SES Astra, a subsidiary of SES based in Betzdorf, Luxembourg....
- Astra 1AAstra 1AAstra 1A was the first satellite launched and operated by SES . During its early days, it was often referred to as the Astra Satellite, as SES only operated one satellite originally....
- Astra 1CAstra 1CAstra 1C was the third communications satellite launched by the Société Européenne des Satellites , now SES Astra. It is the oldest Astra satellite still in operation, although it currently carries few services...
- Astra 1DAstra 1DAstra 1D was the fourth, and under original plans, last communications satellite from Société Européenne des Satellites , now SES Astra. It was launched to Astra's original solitary operational position at 19.2° east, and was intended as an in-orbit spare for Astra's 1A, 1B and 1C...
- Astra 1EAstra 1EAstra 1E is a communications satellite owned and operated by SES Astra, and launched in 1995 to the Astra 19.2°E orbital slot to provide digital television and radio for DTH across Europe....
- Astra 1KAstra 1KAstra 1K was a communications satellite manufactured by Alcatel Space for SES Astra. When it was launched on November 25, 2002 it was the largest civilian communications satellite ever launched, weighing...
- Astra 1KRAstra 1KRAstra 1KR is a geostationary satellite owned by SES Astra. It was launched in April 2006 as a replacement for Astra 1K, which failed to reach orbit on launch in 2002...