Eutelsat W3B, W3C, W3D / Eutelsat 7B, 16A

Eutelsat W3B [Thales Alenia]

In February 2008 Thales Alenia Space has been awarded a contract to design, manufacture and deliver a satellite for Eutelsat. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The Eutelsat W3B satellite, based on Thales' Spacebus-4000C3 platform, will be equipped with two fixed and three deployable antennas and will provide 3 Ka- and 53 Ku-band transponders.

W3B was be colocated at 7° east with Eutelsat's W3A satellite and will provide broadcast and telecommunications services across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. But following the problems of W2M shortly after launch, W3B will take W2M's place to replace the aging W2 satellite

As a replacement for W3B's original mission at 7° east, Eutelsat ordered in March 2009 the identical Eutelsat W3C satellite.

W3B developed a sizeable leak in the proulsion system directly after launch and was declared a total loss. The failure was likely caused by a sudden, catastrophic leak in a single propellant tube connected to one of the satellite’s 16 thruster motors. Eutelsat ordered in December 2010 the Eutelsat W3D satellite as a replacement.

In December 2011 Eutelsat announced, that their satellite assets will be renamed under a unified brand name effective from March 2012. W3C and W3D will become Eutelsat 16A an Eutelsat 7B respectively.