Newsgroup: it.hobby.satellite-tv
Titolo: Astra 2A - Lanciato

Pare che il buon vecchio Proton ci sia riuscito di nuovo: Astra 2A e'
stato lanciato la notte scorsa, in perfetto orario, e stando alle prime
informazioni tutto e' andato bene (compreso il volo del quarto modulo,
il blocco DM, quello piu' critico). 
Questo e' il comunicato ufficiale della S.E.S., comunque:
 
Baikonur, August 30th, 1998
                                        ASTRA 2A launch success on
Proton
                                  SES to provide first satellite for
permanent operation at 28.2° East
       The ASTRA 2A satellite of Luxembourg-based Société Européenne des
Satellites (SES) was successfully launched with a Russian Proton D-1-e
rocket from the
       Cosmodrome of Baikonur (Kazakhstan) in the early morning hours of
August 30th, 1998 (06.31 am Baikonur time; 02.31 am CET; 00.31 am GMT).
ASTRA 2A is
       the eighth SES satellite in the ASTRA series and the first to be
permanently located at the orbital position of 28.2° East.
                                         Built by Hughes Space &
Communications...
       The spacecraft was built by Hughes Space and Communications of El
Segundo (California). ASTRA 2A is an HS 601 HP type spacecraft (HP =
High Power),
       carrying up to 32 active transponders (for the first five years,
28 thereafter) with a TWTA (Travelling Wave Tube Amplifier) output power
of 98.5 Watts. The
       satellite is equipped with XIPS (Xenon Ion Propulsion System) for
in-orbit station keeping manoeuvres as well as conventional
bi-propellant thrusters. Gallium
       arsenide solar cells provide ASTRA 2A with 7 kilowatts of
electrical power. The satellite also has an advanced antenna design,
using two large lightweight
       reflectors featuring Hughes' contoured-surface technology. The
spacecraft weighed 3.635 kilograms at launch and is designed for 15
years of lifetime.
                                       ... launched by International
Launch Services (ILS)
       The launch services for ASTRA 2A onboard Proton were provided by
International Launch Services (ILS), the joint venture between
Lockheed-Martin of the
       United States, and Khrunichev and RSC Energia of Russia.
       The first three stages of the Proton D-1-e launch vehicle carried
ASTRA 2A into a support orbit at a perigee altitude of 179 kilometres
and an apogee altitude of
       215 kilometres with an inclination of 51.6°, which the satellite
reached approximately ten minutes after lift-off from the Cosmodrome of
Baikonur.
       One hour and fourteen minutes after lift-off the fourth stage of
the Proton launcher (Block DM) was ignited for the first time to raise
the apogee altitude to 36.000
       kilometres.
       The fourth stage was fired for the second time six hours and
twenty minutes after lift-off to inject the space head into transfer
orbit. The perigee altitude was
       raised to 7.900 km. At the same time the inclination of the orbit
was reduced from 51.6° to 15.6°.
       Separation of the ASTRA 2A satellite from the fourth stage of the
Proton rocket took place 20 minutes after the second ignition. The
satellite was first acquired
       by a tracking station in Australia.
       Within the next few days, four activations of ASTRA 2A's apogee
motor will propel the satellite into geostationary orbit. The on-board
apogee motor will be
       activated during the 4th, 6th, 8th and the 10th revolution around
the earth.
       The satellite's solar panels and its communications antennas will
be deployed approximately 11 days into the mission. After thorough
testing of all the on-board
       systems, ASTRA 2A will be positioned at the orbital location of
28.2° East and all services currently provided by ASTRA 1D at this
orbital position will be
       switched to the new spacecraft. The satellite will start
commercial service in approximately five weeks. Signed SES customers for
digital transponder capacity at
       28.2° East include: BSkyB, BBC, Flextech, Discovery, UKTV, Turner
Broadcasting and Viacom.
Saludos
/\/\
-- 
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*  /\/\arcello Berengo Gardin - Satellite magazine  *
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*           all the above opinion are my own        *
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E che ne e' stato dell'opzione EUTELSAT per il medesimo slot orbitale?
Non era stato assegnato in sede WARC/WRC ad EUTELSAT?
-- 
Giusepp...@compuserve.com
http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Lot/1136