Nilesat 102
Encyclopedia
Nilesat 102 is an Egypt
ian owned geosynchronous communications satellite
that was launched by an Ariane 44LP rocket
from Kourou
, French Guiana
on August 17, 2000 at 23:16 UTC by the European Space Agency
. It was manufactured by the European company Matra Marconi Space
(Astrium), and started official broadcasting in 12 September 2000 with an Expected Life Time of 15 years. At launch the spacecraft weighed 1,827 kg (fully fuelled).
Nilesat 102 is operated by The Egyptian satellite Co. Nilesat
that was established in 1996 with the purpose of operating Egyptian satellites and their associated ground control station
and uplink
ing facilities.
It is parked at the geostationary orbital position of 7° West
together with its sister Satellite Nilesat 101
and carries 12 Ku band
100 W high power wide beam transponder
s of 33 MHz bandwidth to provide digital communications and terrestrial Direct to Home ((DTH
)) TV, radio broadcasting, multimedia
and data
services for countries in the Arab World
and South Europe. The two satellites carry approximately 280 TV channels covering all the Middle East countries; from Iran in the east to the Atlantic Ocean in the west, and from south Europe in the north to the centre of Africa in the south.
Nilesat and Eutelsat
has agreed in September 2005 to lease capacity on Eutelsat’s Hot Bird 4 satellite after relocating it to 7° West
and renaming it to Nilesat 103
, the satellite is scheduled to be repositioned to this location in second quarter 2006 after the launch and entry into service of Eutelsat’s Hot Bird 7A and Hot Bird 8 satellites.
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
ian owned geosynchronous communications satellite
Communications satellite
A communications satellite is an artificial satellite stationed in space for the purpose of telecommunications...
that was launched by an Ariane 44LP rocket
Rocket
A rocket is a missile, spacecraft, aircraft or other vehicle which obtains thrust from a rocket engine. In all rockets, the exhaust is formed entirely from propellants carried within the rocket before use. Rocket engines work by action and reaction...
from Kourou
Kourou
Kourou is a commune in French Guiana, an overseas region and department of France located in South America.Kourou is the location of the Guiana Space Centre, France and ESA's main spaceport.-Geography:...
, French Guiana
French Guiana
French Guiana is an overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department located on the northern Atlantic coast of South America. It has borders with two nations, Brazil to the east and south, and Suriname to the west...
on August 17, 2000 at 23:16 UTC by the European Space Agency
European Space Agency
The European Space Agency , established in 1975, is an intergovernmental organisation dedicated to the exploration of space, currently with 18 member states...
. It was manufactured by the European company Matra Marconi Space
Matra Marconi Space
Matra Marconi Space was a Franco-British aerospace company.-History:Matra Marconi Space was established in 1990 as a joint venture between the space and telecommunication divisions of the Lagardère Group and the GEC group .The merged company was announced in December 1989 and was owned 51% by...
(Astrium), and started official broadcasting in 12 September 2000 with an Expected Life Time of 15 years. At launch the spacecraft weighed 1,827 kg (fully fuelled).
Nilesat 102 is operated by The Egyptian satellite Co. Nilesat
Nilesat
Nilesat is an Egyptian company, and the name of a series of Egyptian communications satellites. It was established in 1996 with the purpose of operating Egyptian satellites and their associated ground control station and uplinking facilities...
that was established in 1996 with the purpose of operating Egyptian satellites and their associated ground control station
Ground control station
A ground control station is a land- or sea-based control center that provides the facilities for human control of unmanned vehicles in the air or in space. A GCS could be used to control unmanned aerial vehicles or rockets within or above the atmosphere....
and uplink
Uplink
A telecommunications link is generally one of several types of information transmission paths such as those provided by communication satellites to connect two points on earth.-Uplink:...
ing facilities.
It is parked at the geostationary orbital position of 7° West
7th meridian west
The meridian 7° west of Greenwich is a line of longitude that extends from the North Pole across the Arctic Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean, Europe, Africa, the Southern Ocean, and Antarctica to the South Pole....
together with its sister Satellite Nilesat 101
Nilesat 101
Nilesat 101 is an Egyptian owned geosynchronous communications satellite.Launched by an Ariane 4 rocket from Kourou, French Guiana on 28 April 1998 at 22:53:00 UTC by the European Space Agency, it was manufactured by the European company Matra Marconi Space , and started official broadcasting on 31...
and carries 12 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...
100 W high power wide beam transponder
Transponder
In telecommunication, the term transponder has the following meanings:...
s of 33 MHz bandwidth to provide digital communications and terrestrial Direct to Home ((DTH
DTH
DTH may refer to:* The Daily Tar Heel, a student newspaper at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill* Dance Theatre of Harlem, New York City* Danmarks Tekniske Højskole, a previous name for the Technical University of Denmark...
)) TV, radio broadcasting, multimedia
Multimedia
Multimedia is media and content that uses a combination of different content forms. The term can be used as a noun or as an adjective describing a medium as having multiple content forms. The term is used in contrast to media which use only rudimentary computer display such as text-only, or...
and data
Data
The term data refers to qualitative or quantitative attributes of a variable or set of variables. Data are typically the results of measurements and can be the basis of graphs, images, or observations of a set of variables. Data are often viewed as the lowest level of abstraction from which...
services for countries in the Arab World
Arab world
The Arab world refers to Arabic-speaking states, territories and populations in North Africa, Western Asia and elsewhere.The standard definition of the Arab world comprises the 22 states and territories of the Arab League stretching from the Atlantic Ocean in the west to the Arabian Sea in the...
and South Europe. The two satellites carry approximately 280 TV channels covering all the Middle East countries; from Iran in the east to the Atlantic Ocean in the west, and from south Europe in the north to the centre of Africa in the south.
Nilesat and Eutelsat
Eutelsat
Eutelsat S.A. is a French-based satellite provider. Providing coverage over the entire European continent, as well as the Middle East, Africa, India and significant parts of Asia and the Americas, it is one of the world's three leading satellite operators in terms of revenues.Eutelsat’s satellites...
has agreed in September 2005 to lease capacity on Eutelsat’s Hot Bird 4 satellite after relocating it to 7° West
7th meridian west
The meridian 7° west of Greenwich is a line of longitude that extends from the North Pole across the Arctic Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean, Europe, Africa, the Southern Ocean, and Antarctica to the South Pole....
and renaming it to Nilesat 103
Nilesat 103
Nilesat 103 Satellite, also known as Atlantic Bird 4, is an Egyptian owned communications satellite.Nilesat and Eutelsat has agreed in September 2005 to lease capacity on Eutelsat’s Hot Bird 4 satellite after relocating it to 7° West and renaming it Nilesat 103...
, the satellite is scheduled to be repositioned to this location in second quarter 2006 after the launch and entry into service of Eutelsat’s Hot Bird 7A and Hot Bird 8 satellites.