Astra 3B
Encyclopedia
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 (DTH), and two-way satellite broadband
services across Europe and the Middle East.
The satellite provides three broadcast beams, of horizontal and vertical polarisation that cover three areas of the Earth’s surface. The Pan-European Wide beam provides DTH reception on 60 cm dishes across Europe from Spain to the Black Sea and from Greece to Scandinavia. The European spot beam (for central and eastern Europe) and the Middle East spot beam (the Arabian Peninsula, Iran and Iraq) provide for contribution and distribution services, and data and IP trunking services between the two regions with Ka band
uplink and downlink used in Europe and Ku band
in the Middle East.
Astra 3B was finally launched in May 2010 after nearly two months delay caused by technical problems to the main stage pressurization system of the Ariane 5
rocket, including two on-the-launch-pad postponements on March 24, 2010 and April 9..
Astra 3B became commercially operational in June 2010 to initially provide DTH broadcast services mainly to the Benelux region and Eastern Europe as well as the two-way broadband service, ASTRA2Connect
across Europe and the Middle East. In January 2011 Astra announced that Bulgarian DTH operator Satellite BG would launch a package of more than 60 standard definition channels and 12 high definition channels, including sports, film, factual and children’s TV, and all major Bulgarian public and commercial services on February 1, using three transponders on Astra 3B to reach TV homes across Bulgaria.
The deployment of Astra 3B helped to optimize the spectrum use at 23.5° east and enabled SES Astra to release the Astra 1E
and Astra 1G satellites previously at Astra 23.5°E for use at other orbital positions.
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...
, launched in 2010 to the Astra 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...
orbital slot providing digital television and radio for direct-to-home (DTH), and two-way satellite broadband
Satellite Internet access
Satellite Internet access is Internet access provided through satellites. The service can be provided to users world-wide through low Earth orbit satellites. Geostationary satellites can offer higher data speeds, but their signals can not reach some polar regions of the world...
services across Europe and the Middle East.
The satellite provides three broadcast beams, of horizontal and vertical polarisation that cover three areas of the Earth’s surface. The Pan-European Wide beam provides DTH reception on 60 cm dishes across Europe from Spain to the Black Sea and from Greece to Scandinavia. The European spot beam (for central and eastern Europe) and the Middle East spot beam (the Arabian Peninsula, Iran and Iraq) provide for contribution and distribution services, and data and IP trunking services between the two regions with Ka band
Ka band
The Ka band covers the frequencies of 26.5–40 GHz. The Ka band is part of the K band of the microwave band of the electromagnetic spectrum. This symbol refers to "K-above" — in other words, the band directly above the K-band...
uplink and downlink used in Europe and 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...
in the Middle East.
Astra 3B was finally launched in May 2010 after nearly two months delay caused by technical problems to the main stage pressurization system of the Ariane 5
Ariane 5
Ariane 5 is, as a part of Ariane rocket family, an expendable launch system used to deliver payloads into geostationary transfer orbit or low Earth orbit . Ariane 5 rockets are manufactured under the authority of the European Space Agency and the Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales...
rocket, including two on-the-launch-pad postponements on March 24, 2010 and April 9..
Astra 3B became commercially operational in June 2010 to initially provide DTH broadcast services mainly to the Benelux region and Eastern Europe as well as the two-way broadband service, 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...
across Europe and the Middle East. In January 2011 Astra announced that Bulgarian DTH operator Satellite BG would launch a package of more than 60 standard definition channels and 12 high definition channels, including sports, film, factual and children’s TV, and all major Bulgarian public and commercial services on February 1, using three transponders on Astra 3B to reach TV homes across Bulgaria.
The deployment of Astra 3B helped to optimize the spectrum use at 23.5° east and enabled SES Astra to release the Astra 1E
Astra 1E
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....
and Astra 1G satellites previously at Astra 23.5°E for use at other orbital positions.
See also
- Astra 23.5°EAstra 23.5°EAstra 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...
orbital position - Astra 3AAstra 3AAstra 3A is a communications satellite owned and operated by SES Astra, launched in 2002 to the Astra 23.5°E orbital slot providing digital television and radio for DTH and cable, multimedia and interactive services, corporate networks, and occasional and other business services to central...
co-located satellite - 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...
two-way satellite broadband
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