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EUTELSAT

The European Telecommunications Satellite Organization (EUTELSAT) has been servicing the European community since 1977, being formally established by a multi-lateral agreement in 1985. By end 1994, the organization had grown to 44 members, primarily due to the breakup of the former Soviet Union and the restructuring of Europe. Some of the more recent members are the Russian Federation, Estonia, Latvia, Moldova, Bulgaria, Andorra, and Belarus.

In 1979 ESA agreed to design, build, and launch five ECS spacecraft to be assumed by EUTELSAT after passing initial on-orbiting testing. At that time the name of each spacecraft was changed to EUTELSAT 1-F1, EUTELSAT1-F2, etc. Of the five ECS spacecraft, four were successfully launched (1983, 1984, 1987, and 1988) and transferred to EUTELSAT. ECS 3 was lost in an Ariane launch accident in 1985.

As noted previously, the ECS spacecraft was derived from the OTS vehicle but with an initial mass on station of approximately 700 kg. The payload included twelve (including two spares) 14/11 GHz transponders with 20 W output power for a capacity of 12,000 telephone circuits or 10 television channels. Two solar arrays with a span of 13.8 m provided 1 kW of electrical power to the 2.2 m by 2.4 m spacecraft bus. With an anticipated working life of up to seven years, at the end of 1994 three ECS/EUTELSAT 1 spacecraft were still operational at 21.5 degrees E, 25.5 degrees E, and 48 degrees E, although EUTELSAT 1-F1 offered limited service due to its inclination of more than 4.5 degrees. EUTELSAT 1F2 (ECS 2) was retired in December, 1993.

In 1990 EUTELSAT began the deployment of the second generation EUTELSAT spacecraft procured directly from Aerospatiale and based on the Spacebus-100 design. Each EUTELSAT 2 spacecraft supports 16 transponders (with eight spares) operating at 14/11 GHz and 50 W output power. In orbit the spacecraft spans 22.4 m across the two rectangular solar arrays which generate up to 3.5 kW. Although similar in appearance to EUTELSAT 1, EUTELSAT 2 employs two, 1.6 m diameter multifeed reflectors, one on each side of the spacecraft bus.

Throughout 1993-1994, the EUTELSAT 2 constellation consisted of four spacecraft: No. 1 at 13 degrees E, No. 2 at 10 degrees E, No. 3 at 16 degrees E, and No. 4 at 7 degrees E. EUTELSAT 2-F5 was scheduled to join the network in 1994 but was lost in an Ariane launch accident on 24 January 1994. The last of the EUTELSAT 2 series spacecraft was scheduled for launch in 1995 under the name Hotbird 1. The vehicle will be essentially the same as its predecessors, but the transponder output power will be increased from 50 W to 70 W (References 36-37).

In late 1993 EUTELSAT sought bids for a more capable spacecraft dubbed Hotbird Plus. In early 1994, Matra Marconi was awarded the contract for a single spacecraft, Hotbird 2, with options for up to three more. By the end of 1994 the first option had been exercised for Hotbird 3. The new spacecraft will be launched in 1996 and 1997 and will be based on the Eurostar design developed jointly by British Aerospace and Matra Marconi. The nearly 3-metric-ton Hotbird Plus will carry 20 high power (110 W) Ku-band transponders to permit direct-to-home television broadcast service to Europe via a Superbeam antenna and broader coverage with a Widebeam antenna. An enlarged solar array will generate the 5.5 kW required by the spacecraft and its power-hungry payload. The new Hotbird Plus spacecraft will be co-located with Hotbird 1 at 13 degrees E (References 38-42).

The Hotbird series of spacecraft represent a stop-gap measure before the even larger, more capable EUTELSAT 3 satellites are deployed. In late 1994 EUTELSAT requested bids for the new spacecraft which are expected to have a mass of three metric tons in order to carry 24 active 90 W. Ku-band transponders (reduced from an initial goal of 34 transponders). An award for the first batch of EUTELSAT 3 spacecraft, to be ready beginning in 1998, was anticipated in 1995 (References 43-45).

EUTELSAT had planned to create a new generation of direct broadcast satellites, called Europesat, for operations starting in the mid1990's. Sponsored primarily by France and Germany, the project faltered when France's Telecom declined to participate. The market envisioned for Europesat was high definition television broadcasting using 125 W. 18/12GHz transponders (References 46-48).