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Ekspress-AM 6 (Eutelsat 53A)

Ekspress-AM-6 [ISS Reshetnev]

The Ekspress-AM 6 is a communications satellites for Russian domestic communication services.

The lifetime of the spacecraft has been increased to 15 years. While the spacecraft itself is built by Russian RSCC (Kosmicheskiya Svyaz), the communication payloads are built by MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. (MDA). It consists of 14 C-band, 44 Ku-band, 12 Ka-band and 2 L-band transponders.

Five transponders are leased to Eutelsat and are marketed under the name Eutelsat 53A since May 2015.

The satellite was launched on a Proton-M Briz-M (Ph.3) rocket from Baikonur. The Briz-M upper stage shut down too early in the 4th burn and left the satellite in a lower than planned orbit (31307 km × 37784 km, 0.7°). The satellite reached the operational geostationary orbit by using its own propulsion.

In March 2020 the five-year-old satellite's Ka-band payload was shut off due to a thermal control system malfunction with the spacecraft.

Nation: Russia
Type / Application: Communication
Operator: RSCC (Kosmicheskiya Svyaz)
Contractors: ISS Reshetnev (ex NPO Prikladnoi Mekhaniki, NPO PM) (Bus), MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. (MDA) (Payload)
Equipment: 14 C-band, 44 Ku-band, 12 Ka-band, 2 L-band transponders
Configuration: Ekspress-2000
Propulsion: ? × SPT-100 Stationary Plasma Thrusters
Power: 2 deployable solar arrays, batteries
Lifetime: 15 years
Mass: 3358 kg
Orbit: GEO
Satellite COSPAR Date LS Launch Vehicle Remarks
Ekspress-AM 6 (Eutelsat 53A) 2014-064A 21.10.2014 Ba LC-81/24 P Proton-M Briz-M (Ph.3)

References:

  • Intersputnik Website
Further Ekspress missions:

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