# Eurostar (satellite bus)

Eurostar is a satellite bus made by Airbus Defence and Space (formerly Astrium, and before 1994, British Aerospace, and Matra Marconi Space—the former Marconi Space having been merged with Matra's former "Matra Espace" division) which has been used for a series of spacecraft providing telecommunications services in geosynchronous orbit (GEO). More than 70 Eurostar satellites have been ordered to date, of which more than 55 have been successfully launched since October 1990 and have proven highly reliable in operational service. In December 2013, the Eurostar satellites accumulated 500 years of successful operations in orbit. The Eurostar spacecraft series is designed for a variety of telecommunications needs including fixed services and broadcast, mobile services, broadband and secured communications.

## Development

Eurostar was designed in the mid 1980s jointly by Matra Marconi Space and BAe (now integrated within Airbus Defence and Space) to Inmarsat specifications, for a market which at the time had a design envelope of 1.8-2.5 Tons on the proposed launch vehicles (STS PAM D2 and Ariane 4). Satellite payload power was from 1300 to 2600 W. This was the first commercial satellite to have a digital avionics system modular in concept. With this system architecture, all key satellite parameters are in software, which permits mission specific requirements to be implemented without hardware changes. The initial satellite structure and configuration designed to early requirements had significant growth potential, which subsequently allowed the payload capability (mass and power) to be more than quadrupled between 1987 and 1992, with a minimum of re qualification. Airbus DS has since developed further the product line in a staged process which mainly increases the satellite power and propulsion capability and real estate for accommodation of equipment and antennas. The overall configuration of Eurostar satellites has essentially not changed in 20 years through the successive generations Eurostar E1000, E2000, E2000+ and E3000. They have just become larger, more powerful, with implementation costs reduced through longer orbit manoeuvring lifetime, and more efficient and powerful payloads. Nowadays the Eurostar E3000 series has been considerably enhanced and updated with the latest technologies, still maintaining the basic proven configuration. A new version E3000e introduced in 2014 uses electric propulsion for orbit raising.

## Range
### Eurostar E1000

The original Eurostar E1000 satellite was designed for the Inmarsat-2 fleet requirements by an international team led by Matra Marconi Space and British Aerospace Space Systems (BAe Dynamics), the former of which would ultimately acquire BAe Dynamics to eventually become Astrium and eventually merge with Airbus Military to form the present Airbus Defence and Space. Three-axis stabilized, and designed for a 10-year service life, the Inmarsat-2 had 4 (+2) L-band transponders and 1 (+1) C-Band transponders. The satellite featured a launch mass of 1.31 t (2,900 lb), however, the satellite bus was designed to weigh up to 2.5 t (5,500 lb) to accommodate future customer requirements. Subsequently, the spacecraft also came with different payload power options ranging from 1300 W to 3000 W. This degree of customization was the result of a highly modular design that would carry over onto the upgraded variants.
A total of four satellites based on the E1000 bus have been built and launched, all of which were for Inmarsat.

### Eurostar E2000/E2000+

The Eurostar E2000, which debuted with France Telecom as the launch customer in December 1991, was a larger and more capable upgrade of the E1000. It was developed from a set of requirements by the French Space Agency (CNES) and the French Ministry of Armed Forces via the Directorate-General for Armaments (DGA). The DGA had decided to repartner with CNES in order to add X-Band capabilities to the mission to enable the creation of their Syracuse II military ground-based telecommunications network, and to replace and enhance the role of the Syracuse I systems aboard the aging Telecom-1 fleet. The first of the satellites to be launched would be the Telecom 2A. Each of the four Telecom-2 satellites in the constellation had 10 x C-Band transponders, 14 x Ku-Band transponders and 5 x X-Band transponders. Despite the increase in capabilities, the E2000 bus used for Telecom-2 was only slightly heavier than the E1000, with an on-orbit mass of 1.38 t (3,000 lb) and a dry weight of 700 kilograms (1,500 lb), however, like its predecessor, was also designed to accommodate larger payloads with a total launch mass of up to 2.5 t (5,500 lb), should the customer require it. The E2000’s operational/maneuverability life varied by customer, but ranged from 7 to 10 years. The E2000’s main power comes from two swivelling solar arrays, with later models capable of producing up to 3600W per array, or 6200 W total with an optional array spanning 22 m (72 ft).
The E2000+ satellite bus offered a series of significant upgrades, in addition to being slightly larger than the E2000. Upgrades included:
* Increased efficiency in its ability to operate over 40 transponders
* Increased maximum launch mass of up to 3.4 t (7,500 lb)
* Increased payload power up to 6.2 kW (6,200 W)
* Capability to carry up to 48 high powered amplifiers in addition to large multiple antenna configurations
* Increased maneuverability life to 15 years
* Integration of CCSDS telemetry and telecommand protocols.
The first E2000+ customer was Eutelsat's Hot Bird 2. At least 23 E2000 and E2000+ satellite busses were built, with a total of 22 launches.

### Eurostar E3000 & Eurostar Neo

The Eurostar E3000 satellite bus was first launched in 2004 with Eutesat's Eutelsat W3A payload. Building upon the idea of modularity, the satellite itself can be built with several modules to serve different missions, all based around a common service module, communications module with 1,2, or 3 floors, a chemical or chemical-electric propulsion module, and scalable payload power options. Satellite power can be up to 16 kW (16,000 W) stored in either NiH2 or Lithium-Ion batteries. The solar array's wingspan is also scalable, and capable of deploying to be up to 45 m (148 ft) wide. The spacecraft's maximum launch mass has increased to 6.4 t (14,000 lb), while its telecommunications payload capacity has been increased to up to 120 installed high-power amplifiers/transponders. In 2018, Airbus D&S launched the first E3000e - a modified E3000 with all-electric propulsion, removing the standard propulsion module and over 2,000 kg (4,400 lb) of excess mass with it. SES-12 for SES was the first customer for the E3000e in June 2018. At least 48 x E3000 and E3000e satellite busses had been built and launched by the end of 2018.
An improved model based on the E3000e called the Eurostar Neo was announced in 2017, offering electric, hybrid, or chemical propulsion, in addition to a scalable power range of 7 kW to 25 kW. In 2021 the first Eurostar Neo, Eutelsat Hot Bird 13F, started final integration.
As of 2020, a total of 84 Eurostar satellites had been ordered, with 6 E3000e satellites already in operation.

## Modularity

The Eurostar satellite structures are modular with a separate Service-Propulsion module and Communications module.

## Satellite orders
### Eurostar-1000

| Satellite | Country | Operator | Type | Coverage | Launch date (GMT) | Rocket | Status |
| Inmarsat-2 F1 | International | Inmarsat | Communications | 4 L-band, 1 C-band | 30 October 1990 | Delta II 6925 | Retired |
| Inmarsat-2 F2 | International | Inmarsat | Communications | 4 L-band, 1 C-band | 8 March 1991 | Delta II 6925 | Retired |
| Inmarsat-2 F3 | International | Inmarsat | Communications | 4 L-band, 1 C-band | 16 December 1991 | Ariane-44L | Retired |
| Inmarsat-2 F2 | International | Inmarsat | Communications | 4 L-band, 1 C-band | 15 April 1992 | Ariane-44L | Retired |

### Eurostar-2000

| Satellite | Country | Operator | Type | Coverage | Launch date (GMT) | Rocket | Changes | Status |
| Hispasat 1A | Spain | Hispasat | Communications & military communications | 12 Ku-band, 3 X-band | 10 September 1992 | Ariane-44L | | Retired |
| Hispasat 1B | Spain | Hispasat | Communications & military communications | 12 Ku-band, 3 X-band | 22 July 1993 | Ariane-44L | | Retired |
| Nilesat 101 | Egypt | Nilesat | Television broadcasting | 12 Ku-band | 28 April 1998 | Ariane-44P | | Retired |
| Nilesat 102 | Egypt | Nilesat | Television broadcasting | 12 Ku-band | 28 April 1998 | Ariane-44P | | Retired |
| Orion 1 | United States | Orion Network Systems | Television broadcasting & satellite internet | 34 Ku-band | 28 April 1998 | Atlas IIA | Known as Telstar 11 | Retired |
| Telecom 2A | France | France Telecom | Communications & military communications | 10 C-band, 11 Ku-band, 5 X-band | 16 December 1991 | Ariane-44L | | Retired |
| Telecom 2B | France | France Telecom | Communications & military communications | 10 C-band, 11 Ku-band, 5 X-band | 15 April 1992 | Ariane-44L | | Retired |
| Telecom 2C | France | France Telecom | Communications & military communications | 10 C-band, 11 Ku-band, 5 X-band | 6 December 1995 | Ariane-44L | | Retired |
| Telecom 2D | France | France Telecom | Communications & military communications | 10 C-band, 11 Ku-band, 5 X-band | 8 August 1996 | Ariane-44L | | Retired |

### Eurostar-2000+

| Satellite | Country | Operator | Type | Coverage | Launch date (GMT) | Rocket | Changes | Status |
| AfriStar | United States | 1worldspace | Communications | 3 L-band | 28 October 1998 | Ariane-44L | Known as Spectrum 1 | Retired |
| AsiaStar | United States | 1worldspace | Communications | 3 L-band | 21 March 2000 | Ariane 5G | Known as Spectrum 2 | Active |
| Arabsat 4A | Saudi Arabia | Arabsat | Communications | 24 C-band, 16 Ku-band | 28 February 2006 | Proton-M | Known as Badr 1 | Launch failure |
| Arabsat 4B | Saudi Arabia | Arabsat | Communications | 28 Ku-band | 8 November 2006 | Proton-M | Known as Badr 4 | Active |
| Arabsat 4AR | Saudi Arabia | Arabsat | Communications | 24 C-band, 20 Ku-band | 7 July 2008 | Ariane 5 ECA | Known as Badr 6 | Active |
| Astra 2B | Luxembourg | SES | Communications | 30 Ku-band | 14 September 2000 | Ariane 5G | | Retired |
| Eutelsat W1 | International | Eutelsat | Television broadcasting & satellite internet | 28 Ku-band | 6 September 2000 | Ariane-44P | Known as Eutelsat 4A | Retired |
| Hotbird 2 | International | Eutelsat | Television broadcasting | 20 Ku-band | 21 November 1996 | Atlas IIA | Known as Eutelsat 48A | Retired |
| Hotbird 3 | International | Eutelsat | Television broadcasting | 20 Ku-band | 2 September 1997 | Ariane-44LP | Known as Eutelsat W75/ABS 1B | Active |
| Hotbird 4 | International | Eutelsat | Television broadcasting | 20 Ku-band | 27 February 1998 | Ariane-44P | Known as Eutelsat 16B | Retired |
| Hotbird 5 | International | Eutelsat | Television broadcasting | 20 Ku-band | 9 October 1998 | Atlas IIA | Known as Eutelsat 4B | Retired |
| Hotbird 7 | International | Eutelsat | Television broadcasting | 40 Ku-band | 11 December 2002 | Ariane 5 ECA | Known as Eutelsat 4B | Launch failure |
| ST-1 | Singapore, Taiwan | Singtel | Television broadcasting | 16 Ku-band, 14 C-band | 25 August 1998 | Ariane-44P | | Retired |

### Eurostar-3000

| Satellite | Country | Operator | Type | Coverage | Launch date (GMT) | Rocket | Changes | Status |
| ANASIS-II | South Korea | ADD | Military communications | | 20 July 2020 | Falcon 9 | Known as Koreasat 116 | Active |
| Amazonas 2 | Spain | Hispasat | Communications | 54 Ku-band, 10 C-band | 20 July 2020 | Ariane 5 ECA | | Active |
| Arabsat-5A | Saudi Arabia | Arabsat | Television broadcasting & satellite internet | 16 C-band, 24 Ku-band | 26 June 2010 | Ariane 5 ECA | | Active |
| Arabsat-5B | Saudi Arabia | Arabsat | Television broadcasting & satellite internet | 56 Ku-band, 56 Ka-band | 3 June 2010 | Proton-M | Known as Badr 5 | Active |
| Arabsat-5C | Saudi Arabia | Arabsat | Communications | 26 C-band, 12 Ka-band | 21 September 2011 | Ariane 5 ECA | | Active |
| Arabsat-6B | Saudi Arabia | Arabsat | Communications | 24 Ku-band, 27 Ka-band | 10 November 2015 | Ariane 5 ECA | | Active |
| Astra 1M | Luxembourg | SES | Television broadcasting & satellite internet | 32 Ku-band | 5 November 2008 | Proton-M | | Active |
| Astra 1N | Luxembourg | SES | Television broadcasting | 55 Ku-band | 6 August 2011 | Ariane 5 ECA | | Active |
| Astra 1N | Luxembourg | SES | Television broadcasting | 55 Ku-band | 6 August 2011 | Ariane 5 ECA | | Active |
| Astra 2E | Luxembourg | SES | Television broadcasting | 60 Ku-band, 3 Ka-band | 29 September 2013 | Proton-M | Known as Eutelsat 28E | Active |
| Astra 2F | Luxembourg | SES | Television broadcasting | 60 Ku-band, 3 Ka-band | 28 September 2012 | Ariane 5 ECA | Known as Eutelsat 28F | Active |
| Astra 2G | Luxembourg | SES | Television broadcasting | 62 Ku-band, 4 Ka-band | 27 December 2014 | Proton-M | Known as Eutelsat 28G | Active |
| Astra 3B | Luxembourg | SES | Television broadcasting | 52 Ku-band, 4 Ka-band | 21 May 2010 | Ariane 5 ECA | | Active |
| Astra 5B | Luxembourg | SES | Television broadcasting | 40 Ku-band, 3 Ka-band, L-band | 22 March 2014 | Ariane 5 ECA | | Active |
| AT&T T-16 | United States | DirecTV | Television broadcasting | 30 Ku-band, 24 Ka-band, 18 Reverse band | 20 June 2019 | Ariane 5 ECA | | Active |
| Atlantic Bird 7 | International | Eutelsat | Television broadcasting | 56 Ku-band | 24 September 2011 | Zenit-3SL | Known as Eutelsat 7 West A | Active |
| DirecTV 15 | United States | DirecTV | Television broadcasting | 30 Ku-band, 24 Ka-band, 18 Reverse band | 27 May 2015 | Ariane 5 ECA | | Active |
| EchoStar 105 / SES 11 | Luxembourg, United States | SES, EchoStar | Television broadcasting | 24 Ku-band, 24 C-band | 11 October 2017 | Falcon 9 | | Active |
| Ekspress AM4 | Russia | RSCC | Communications | 30 C-band, 2 Ka-band, 3 L-band | 17 August 2011 | Proton-M | | Launch failure |
| Ekspress AM4R | Russia | RSCC | Communications | 30 C-band, 2 Ka-band, 3 L-band | 15 May 2014 | Proton-M | | Launch failure |
| Ekspress AM7 | Russia | RSCC | Communications | 24 C-band, 36 Ku-band, 2 L-band | 18 March 2015 | Proton-M | | Active |
| Ekspress-AMU1 | Russia | RSCC | Communications | 70 Ku-band, 70 Ka-band | 24 December 2015 | Proton-M | | Active |
| Eutelsat 3B | International | Eutelsat | Television broadcasting & satellite internet | 51 C-band, 51 Ku band, 51 Ka-band | 26 May 2014 | Zenit-3SL | | Active |
| Eutelsat 9B / EDRS A | International | Eutelsat | Television broadcasting & satellite relay | 66 Ku-band, EDRS payload | 29 January 2016 | Proton-M | | Active |
| Eutelsat 70B | International | Eutelsat | Communications | 48 Ku-band | 3 December 2012 | Zenit-3SL | | Active |
| Hotbird 8 | International | Eutelsat | Television broadcasting | 64 Ku-band, 64 Ka-band | 4 August 2006 | Proton-M | Known as Hotbird 13B | Active |
| Hotbird 9 | International | Eutelsat | Television broadcasting | 64 Ku-band, 64 Ka-band | 20 December 2008 | Ariane 5 ECA | Known as Hotbird 13C | Active |
| Hotbird 10 | International | Eutelsat | Television broadcasting | 64 Ku-band, 64 Ka-band | 12 February 2009 | Ariane 5 ECA | Known as Eutelsat 33E | Active |
| Intelsat 10-02 | International | Intelsat | Communications | 45 C-band, 16 Ku-band | 16 June 2004 | Proton-M | Known as Thor 10-02 | Active |
| Intelsat 32e | International | Intelsat | Television broadcasting | 81 Ku-band, 21 Ka-band | 14 February 2017 | Ariane 5 ECA | Known as Sky-Brasil 1 | Active |
| KA-SAT | International | Eutelsat | Television broadcasting | Ka-band | 26 December 2010 | Proton-M | Known as Eutelsat KA-SAT 9A | Active |
| MEASAT-3b | Malaysia | MEASAT Satellite Systems | Communications | 48 Ku-band | 11 September 2014 | Ariane 5 ECA | Known as Jabiru 2 | Active |
| MEASAT-3d | Malaysia | MEASAT Satellite Systems | Television broadcasting & satellite internet | C-band, Ku-band, L-band | 22 June 2022 | Ariane 5 ECA | | Active |
| SES-6 | Luxembourg | SES | Television broadcasting | 38 C-band, 36 Ku-band | 3 June 2013 | Proton-M | | Active |
| SES-10 | Luxembourg | SES | Television broadcasting | 50 Ku-band | 30 March 2017 | Falcon 9 | | Active |
| Telstar 12V | United States | Telesat | Communications | 52 Ku-band | 24 November 2015 | H-IIA 204 | | Active |
| Tiba 1 | Egypt | Government of Egypt | Communications | Ka-band | 26 November 2019 | Ariane 5 ECA | | Active |
| Yahsat 1A | United Arab Emirates | Al Yah | Communications | 14 C-band, 25 Ku-band, 21 Ka-band | 22 April 2011 | Ariane 5 ECA | Known as Al Yah 1 | Active |
| Yahsat 1B | United Arab Emirates | Al Yah | Communications | 25 Ka-band, 21 secure Ka-band | 23 April 2012 | Proton-M | Known as Al Yah 2 | Active |

### Eurostar-3000EOR

| Satellite | Country | Operator | Type | Coverage | Launch date (GMT) | Rocket | Changes | Status |
| Eutelsat 172B | International | Eutelsat | Communications | 14 C-band, 36 Ku-band | 1 June 2017 | Ariane 5 ECA | | Active |
| Inmarsat-6 F1 | International | Inmarsat | Communications | L-band, Ka-band | 22 December 2021 | H-IIA 204 | Known as GX 6A | Active |
| Inmarsat-6 F2 | International | Inmarsat | Communications | L-band, Ka-band | 18 February 2023 | Falcon 9 | Known as GX 6B | Active |
| SES-12 | Luxembourg | SES | Communications | 68 Ku-band, 8 Ka-band | 4 June 2018 | Falcon 9 | | Active |
| SES-14 / GOLD | Luxembourg | SES | Television broadcasting | C-band, Ku-band, GOLD | 25 January 2018 | Ariane 5 ECA | | Active |
| Syracuse 4B | France | DGA | Military communications | X-band, Ka-band | 5 July 2023 | Ariane 5 ECA | Also known as Comsat-NG 2 | Active |
| Türksat 5A | Turkey | Türksat | Communications | Ku-band | 8 January 2021 | Falcon 9 | | Active |
| Türksat 5B | Turkey | Türksat | Communications | Ku-band, Ka-band | 19 December 2021 | Falcon 9 | | Active |

### Eurostar-3000GM

| Satellite | Country | Operator | Type | Coverage | Launch date (GMT) | Rocket | Status |
| Inmarsat-4 F1 | International | Inmarsat | Mobile communications | L-band | 11 March 2005 | Atlas V 431 | Active |
| Inmarsat-4 F2 | International | Inmarsat | Mobile communications | L-band | 8 November 2005 | Zenit-3SL | Active |
| Inmarsat-4 F3 | International | Inmarsat | Mobile communications | L-band | 18 August 2008 | Proton-M | Active |

### Eurostar-3000S

| Satellite | Country | Operator | Type | Coverage | Launch date (GMT) | Rocket | Changes | Status |
| Amazonas 1 | Spain | Hispasat | Television broadcasting | 36 Ku-band, 27 C-band | 4 August 2004 | Proton-M | | Retired |
| Anik F1 | Canada | Telesat | Communications | 24 C-band, 32 Ku-band | 8 September 2005 | Proton-M | | Active |
| Anik F3 | Canada | Telesat | Communications | 24 C-band, 32 Ku-band, 2 Ka-band | 9 April 2007 | Proton-M | | Active |
| Eutelsat W3A | International | Eutelsat | Communications | 38 Ku-band, 2 Ka-band | 15 March 2004 | Proton-M | Known as Eutelsat 7A | Active |
| Nimiq-4 | Canada | Telesat | Communications | 32 Ku-band, 8 Ka-band | 19 September 2008 | Proton-M | | Active |
| Skynet 5A | United Kingdom | Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom) | Military communications | | 11 March 2007 | Ariane 5 ECA | | Active |
| Skynet 5B | United Kingdom | Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom) | Military communications | | 14 November 2007 | Ariane 5 ECA | | Active |
| Skynet 5C | United Kingdom | Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom) | Military communications | | 12 June 2008 | Ariane 5 ECA | | Active |
| Skynet 5D | United Kingdom | Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom) | Military communications | | 19 December 2012 | Ariane 5 ECA | | Active |

### AstroBus-G

| Satellite | Country | Operator | Type | Coverage | Launch date (GMT) | Rocket | Changes | Status |
| Chollian | South Korea | KARI | Meteorology | | 26 June 2010 | Ariane 5 ECA | Known as GEO-Kompsat 1 | Active |

### Eurostar-Neo

| Satellite | Country | Operator | Type | Coverage | Launch date (GMT) | Rocket | Changes | Status |
| Arabsat 7B | Saudi Arabia | Arabsat | Communications | C-band, Ku-band, TELEO | 27 May 2023 | Falcon 9 | Known as Badr 8 | Active |
| Eutelsat 36D | International | Eutelsat | Television broadcasting | 70 Ku-band | 30 March 2024 | Falcon 9 | | Active |
| Hotbird 13F | International | Eutelsat | Television broadcasting | 80 Ku-band | 15 October 2022 | Falcon 9 | | Active |
| Hotbird 13G | International | Eutelsat | Television broadcasting | 80 Ku-band | 3 November 2022 | Falcon 9 | | Active |
| Skynet 6A | United Kingdom | Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom) | Military communications | | 2025 | Falcon 9 | | Awaiting launch |
| Spainsat NG I | Spain | Hisdesat | Military communications | X-band, Ka-band, UHF | 30 January 2025 | Falcon 9 | | Active |
| Spainsat NG II | Spain | Hisdesat | Military communications | X-band, Ka-band, UHF | 2025 | Falcon 9 | | Awaiting launch |
| Thuraya 4 | United Arab Emirates | Thuraya | Mobile communications | L-band | 4 January 2025 | Falcon 9 | | Active |
| Thuraya 5 | United Arab Emirates | Thuraya | Mobile communications | L-band | 202x | | | Awaiting launch |

### OneSat

| Satellite | Country | Operator | Type | Coverage | Launch date (GMT) | Rocket | Changes | Status |
| Inmarsat-7 F1 | International | Inmarsat | Communications | Ka-band | 2023 | | Known as GX7 | Awaiting launch |
| Inmarsat-7 F2 | International | Inmarsat | Communications | Ka-band | 202x | | Known as GX8 | Awaiting launch |
| Inmarsat-7 F3 | International | Inmarsat | Communications | Ka-band | 202x | | Known as GX9 | Awaiting launch |
| Intelsat 42 | International | Intelsat | Communications | Reconfigurable multiband | 2023 | | | Awaiting launch |
| Intelsat 43 | International | Intelsat | Communications | Reconfigurable multiband | 2023 | | | Awaiting launch |
| Optus 11 | Australia | Optus | Communications | Ku-band | 2023 | Ariane 64 | | Awaiting launch |
| Superbird-9 | Japan | SKY Perfect JSAT | Communications | Ka-band, Ku-band | 2024 | Starship | | Awaiting launch |
| Thaicom TBD | Thailand | Thaicom | Communications | Ku-band | 202x | | | Awaiting launch |