Astra 1E
Encyclopedia
Astra 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 1E was the first Astra satellite to be dedicated to digital TV broadcasting and it carried many of the first digital TV channels from networks broadcasting to France, Germany, and other European countries in the 1990s.
The satellite originally provided two broadcast beams, of horizontal and vertical polarisation, for FSS
(10.70-10.95 GHz) and for BSS (11.70-12.10 GHz) frequency bands. The FSS beams provide footprint
s that cover essentially the same area of Europe – northern, central and eastern Europe, including Spain and northern Italy – while the BSS horizontal beam excludes Spain and extends further east, and the BSS vertical beam includes Spain and more of southern Italy but does not extend so far east. Within the footprints, TV signals are usually received with a 60–80 cm dish.
In October 2007, following the successful deployment of Astra 1L at 19.2°E, Astra 1E was moved to Astra’s new DTH orbital position, 23.5°E
where it provided capacity for the transmission of new services including the ASTRA2Connect
two-way satellite broadband Internet
service which provides high speed internet access and VOIP without landline connection at up to 2 Mbit/s download speeds and 128 kbit/s upload using four Ku band
transponders for both forward and return paths from the user’s remote terminal.
In May 2010 Astra 3B
was launched to the 23.5° east position, coming into service in June 2010, at which time the services using Astra 1E were transferred to the new craft. In August 2010, Astra 1E left the 23.5° east position moving westwards, to the Astra 5°E
position to provide backup for Astra 4A pending the launch of Astra 4B to that position in 2011. At 5° east, Astra 1E carries very little traffic; usually just one transponder is active with an identifying test card.
Communications satellite
A communications satellite is an artificial satellite stationed in space for the purpose of telecommunications...
owned and operated by 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...
, and launched in 1995 to the Astra 19.2°E
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....
orbital slot to provide digital television and radio for DTH across Europe.
Astra 1E was the first Astra satellite to be dedicated to digital TV broadcasting and it carried many of the first digital TV channels from networks broadcasting to France, Germany, and other European countries in the 1990s.
The satellite originally provided two broadcast beams, of horizontal and vertical polarisation, for FSS
Fixed Service Satellite
Fixed Service Satellite , is the official classification for geostationary communications satellites used for broadcast feeds for television stations and radio stations and broadcast networks, as well as for telephony, telecommunications and data communications.FSS satellites have also been used...
(10.70-10.95 GHz) and for BSS (11.70-12.10 GHz) frequency bands. The FSS beams provide footprint
Footprint (satellite)
The footprint of a communications satellite is the ground area that its transponders offer coverage, and determines the satellite dish diameter required to receive each transponder's signal...
s that cover essentially the same area of Europe – northern, central and eastern Europe, including Spain and northern Italy – while the BSS horizontal beam excludes Spain and extends further east, and the BSS vertical beam includes Spain and more of southern Italy but does not extend so far east. Within the footprints, TV signals are usually received with a 60–80 cm dish.
In October 2007, following the successful deployment of Astra 1L at 19.2°E, Astra 1E was moved to Astra’s new DTH orbital position, 23.5°E
Astra 23.5°E
Astra 23.5°E is the name for the group of communications satellites co-located at the 23.5° east position in the Clarke Belt owned and operated by SES Astra, a subsidiary of SES based in Betzdorf, Luxembourg...
where it provided capacity for the transmission of new services including the ASTRA2Connect
ASTRA2Connect
ASTRA2Connect is a two-way satellite broadband Internet service available across Europe, which launched in March 2007, and uses the ASTRA series of geostationary satellites...
two-way satellite broadband Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
service which provides high speed internet access and VOIP without landline connection at up to 2 Mbit/s download speeds and 128 kbit/s upload using four Ku band
Ku band
The Kμ band is a portion of the electromagnetic spectrum in the microwave range of frequencies. This symbol refers to —in other words, the band directly below the K-band...
transponders for both forward and return paths from the user’s remote terminal.
In May 2010 Astra 3B
Astra 3B
Astra 3B is a communications satellite owned and operated by SES Astra, launched in 2010 to the Astra 23.5°E orbital slot providing digital television and radio for direct-to-home , and two-way satellite broadband services across Europe and the Middle East....
was launched to the 23.5° east position, coming into service in June 2010, at which time the services using Astra 1E were transferred to the new craft. In August 2010, Astra 1E left the 23.5° east position moving westwards, to the Astra 5°E
Astra 5°E
Astra 5°E is the name for the communications satellites co-located at the 5° east position in the Clarke Belt which are owned and operated by SES Astra, a subsidiary of SES based in Betzdorf, Luxembourg...
position to provide backup for Astra 4A pending the launch of Astra 4B to that position in 2011. At 5° east, Astra 1E carries very little traffic; usually just one transponder is active with an identifying test card.
See also
- Astra 3BAstra 3BAstra 3B is a communications satellite owned and operated by SES Astra, launched in 2010 to the Astra 23.5°E orbital slot providing digital television and radio for direct-to-home , and two-way satellite broadband services across Europe and the Middle East....
- Astra 4AAstra 4AAstra 4A is one of the Astracommunications satellite owned and operated by SES at the Astra 5°E orbital slot providing digital television and radio broadcasts, data, and interactive services to Nordic countries, eastern Europe and sub-Saharan Africa in the 11.70 GHz-12.75 GHz range of the...
- 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...
satellite owner - ASTRA2ConnectASTRA2ConnectASTRA2Connect is a two-way satellite broadband Internet service available across Europe, which launched in March 2007, and uses the ASTRA series of geostationary satellites...
Internet service previously carried
External links
- SES guide to receiving Astra satellites
- SES guide to channels broadcasting on Astra satellites
- OnAstra - Official consumers/viewers' site
- SES - Official trade/industry site
- Astra 1E FSS Horizontal beam footprint on SatBeams
- Astra 1E FSS Vertical beam footprint on SatBeams
- Astra 1E BSS Horizontal beam footprint on SatBeams
- Astra 1E BSS Vertical beam footprint on SatBeams
- ASTRA2Connect website