Please make a donation to support Gunter's Space Page.
Thank you very much for visiting Gunter's Space Page. I hope that this site is useful and informative for you.
If you appreciate the information provided on this site, please consider supporting my work by making a simple and secure donation via PayPal. Please help to run the website and keep everything free of charge. Thank you very much.

Astra 1B

Astra 1B [SES]

The Luxembourg-based Societe Europeenne des Satellites (SES) provides telecommunications services to most of Europe via American-manufactured spacecraft.

In 1989 SES acquired the incomplete Satcom K3 and modified it for the use as a european direct broadcasting satellite.

Astra 1B is based on Lockheed-Martin (GE Astro Space) spacecraft buses, a 1.5 metric ton AS-5000 series platform. Astra 1B has overall dimensions of 2.2 m by 2.2 m by 2.8 m with a solar panel span of 24.3 m and 4.9 kW. The spacecraft carries 16 active 60W Ku-band transponders.

Nation: Luxembourg
Type / Application: Communication (Direct Broadcasting)
Operator: SES
Contractors: GE Astrospace
Equipment: 16 (+6) Ku-band transponders
Configuration: AS-5000
Propulsion: 2 × LEROS-1
Power: 2 deployable solar arrays, batteries
Lifetime: 12 years
Mass: 2580 kg (2617 kg ?)
Orbit: GEO
Satellite COSPAR Date LS Launch Vehicle Remarks
Astra 1B (ex Satcom K3) 1991-015A 02.03.1991 Ko ELA-2 Ariane-44LP H10 with Meteosat 5
Further Astra missions:

Cite this page: