Eurostar (satellite bus) explained
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.[1] 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,[2] 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 1.31tonnes, however, the satellite bus was designed to weigh up to 2.5tonnes 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.[3]
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 1.38tonnes and a dry weight of 700kg (1,500lb), however, like its predecessor, was also designed to accommodate larger payloads with a total launch mass of up to 2.5tonnes, 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 22meters.[4]
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 3.4tonnes
- Increased payload power up to 6.2kW
- 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[5] 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 45meters wide. The spacecraft's maximum launch mass has increased to 6.4tonnes, 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 2000kg (4,000lb) 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.[6]
As of 2020, a total of 84 Eurostar satellites had been ordered, with 6 E3000e satellites already in operation.[7]
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!width="200pt"| Changes! Status |-|Inmarsat-2 F1|International|
Inmarsat|Communications|4 L-band, 1 C-band||
Delta II 6925||Retired|-|Inmarsat-2 F2|International|
Inmarsat|Communications|4 L-band, 1 C-band||
Delta II 6925||Retired|-|Inmarsat-2 F3|International|
Inmarsat|Communications|4 L-band, 1 C-band||
Ariane-44L||Retired|-|Inmarsat-2 F2|International|
Inmarsat|Communications|4 L-band, 1 C-band||
Ariane-44L||Retired|-|}
Eurostar-2000
|-! Satellite! Country! Operator! Type! Coverage ! Launch date (
GMT) ! Rocket!width="200pt"| Changes! Status |-|Hispasat 1A|Spain|
Hispasat|Communications & military communications|12 Ku-band, 3 X-band||
Ariane-44L||Retired|-|Hispasat 1B|Spain|
Hispasat|Communications & military communications|12 Ku-band, 3 X-band||
Ariane-44L||Retired|-|
Nilesat 101|Egypt|
Nilesat|Television broadcasting|12 Ku-band||
Ariane-44P||Retired|-|
Nilesat 102|Egypt|
Nilesat|Television broadcasting|12 Ku-band||
Ariane-44P||Retired|-|
Orion 1|United States|Orion Network Systems|Television broadcasting & satellite internet|34 Ku-band||
Atlas IIA|Known as Telstar 11|Retired|-|Telecom 2A|France|France Telecom|Communications & military communications|10 C-band, 11 Ku-band, 5 X-band||
Ariane-44L||Retired|-|Telecom 2B|France|France Telecom|Communications & military communications|10 C-band, 11 Ku-band, 5 X-band||
Ariane-44L||Retired|-|Telecom 2C|France|France Telecom|Communications & military communications|10 C-band, 11 Ku-band, 5 X-band||
Ariane-44L||Retired|-|Telecom 2D|France|France Telecom|Communications & military communications|10 C-band, 11 Ku-band, 5 X-band||
Ariane-44L||Retired|-|}
Eurostar-2000+
|-! Satellite! Country! Operator! Type! Coverage ! Launch date (
GMT) ! Rocket!width="200pt"| Changes! Status |-|
AfriStar|United States|
1worldspace|Communications|3 L-band||
Ariane-44L|Known as Spectrum 1|Retired|-|
AsiaStar|United States|
1worldspace|Communications|3 L-band||
Ariane 5G|Known as Spectrum 2|Active|-|Arabsat 4A|Saudi Arabia|
Arabsat|Communications|24 C-band, 16 Ku-band||
Proton-M|Known as Badr 1|Launch failure|-|Arabsat 4B|Saudi Arabia|
Arabsat|Communications|28 Ku-band||
Proton-M|Known as Badr 4|Active|-|Arabsat 4AR|Saudi Arabia|
Arabsat|Communications|24 C-band, 20 Ku-band||
Ariane 5 ECA|Known as Badr 6|Active|-|
Astra 2B|Luxembourg|
SES|Communications|30 Ku-band||
Ariane 5G||Retired|-|
Eutelsat W1|International|
Eutelsat|Television broadcasting & satellite internet|28 Ku-band||
Ariane-44P|Known as Eutelsat 4A|Retired|-|
Hotbird 2|International|
Eutelsat|Television broadcasting|20 Ku-band||
Atlas IIA|Known as Eutelsat 48A|Retired|-|
Hotbird 3|International|
Eutelsat|Television broadcasting|20 Ku-band||
Ariane-44LP|Known as Eutelsat W75/ABS 1B|Active|-|
Hotbird 4|International|
Eutelsat|Television broadcasting|20 Ku-band||
Ariane-44P|Known as Eutelsat 16B|Retired|-|
Hotbird 5|International|
Eutelsat|Television broadcasting|20 Ku-band||
Atlas IIA|Known as Eutelsat 4B|Retired|-|
Hotbird 7|International|
Eutelsat|Television broadcasting|40 Ku-band||
Ariane 5 ECA|Known as Eutelsat 4B|Launch failure|-|
ST-1|Singapore, Taiwan|
Singtel|Television broadcasting|16 Ku-band, 14 C-band||
Ariane-44P||Retired|-|}
Eurostar-3000
|-! Satellite! Country! Operator! Type! Coverage ! Launch date (
GMT) ! Rocket!width="200pt"| Changes! Status |-|
ANASIS-II|South Korea|
ADD|Military communications|||
Falcon 9|Known as Koreasat 116|Active|-|Amazonas 2|Spain|
Hispasat|Communications|54 Ku-band, 10 C-band||
Ariane 5 ECA||Active|-|
Arabsat-5A|Saudi Arabia|
Arabsat|Television broadcasting & satellite internet|16 C-band, 24 Ku-band||
Ariane 5 ECA||Active|-|Arabsat-5B|Saudi Arabia|
Arabsat|Television broadcasting & satellite internet|56 Ku-band, 56 Ka-band||
Proton-M|Known as Badr 5|Active|-|Arabsat-5C|Saudi Arabia|
Arabsat|Communications|26 C-band, 12 Ka-band||
Ariane 5 ECA||Active|-|Arabsat-6B|Saudi Arabia|
Arabsat|Communications|24 Ku-band, 27 Ka-band||
Ariane 5 ECA||Active|-|
Astra 1M|Luxembourg|
SES|Television broadcasting & satellite internet|32 Ku-band||
Proton-M||Active|-|
Astra 1N|Luxembourg|
SES|Television broadcasting|55 Ku-band||
Ariane 5 ECA||Active|-|
Astra 1N|Luxembourg|
SES|Television broadcasting|55 Ku-band||
Ariane 5 ECA||Active|-|
Astra 2E|Luxembourg|
SES|Television broadcasting|60 Ku-band, 3 Ka-band|||
Proton-M|Known as Eutelsat 28E|Active|-|
Astra 2F|Luxembourg|
SES|Television broadcasting|60 Ku-band, 3 Ka-band||
Ariane 5 ECA||Known as Eutelsat 28F|Active|-|
Astra 2G|Luxembourg|
SES|Television broadcasting|62 Ku-band, 4 Ka-band|||
Proton-M|Known as Eutelsat 28G|Active|-|
Astra 3B|Luxembourg|
SES|Television broadcasting|52 Ku-band, 4 Ka-band||
Ariane 5 ECA||Active|-|
Astra 5B|Luxembourg|
SES|Television broadcasting|40 Ku-band, 3 Ka-band, L-band||
Ariane 5 ECA||Active|-|AT&T T-16|United States|
DirecTV|Television broadcasting|30 Ku-band, 24 Ka-band, 18 Reverse band||
Ariane 5 ECA||Active|-|
Atlantic Bird 7|International|
Eutelsat|Television broadcasting|56 Ku-band||
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||
Ariane 5 ECA||Active|-|
EchoStar 105 / SES 11|Luxembourg, United States|
SES,
EchoStar|Television broadcasting|24 Ku-band, 24 C-band||
Falcon 9||Active|-|
Ekspress AM4|Russia|
RSCC|Communications|30 C-band, 2 Ka-band, 3 L-band||
Proton-M||Launch failure|-|
Ekspress AM4R|Russia|
RSCC|Communications|30 C-band, 2 Ka-band, 3 L-band||
Proton-M||Launch failure|-|
Ekspress AM7|Russia|
RSCC|Communications|24 C-band, 36 Ku-band, 2 L-band||
Proton-M||Active|-|
Ekspress-AMU1|Russia|
RSCC|Communications|70 Ku-band, 70 Ka-band||
Proton-M||Active|-|Eutelsat 3B|International|
Eutelsat|Television broadcasting & satellite internet|51 C-band, 51 Ku band, 51 Ka-band||
Zenit-3SL||Active|-|Eutelsat 9B / EDRS A|International|
Eutelsat|Television broadcasting & satellite relay|66 Ku-band, EDRS payload||
Proton-M||Active|-|Eutelsat 70B|International|
Eutelsat|Communications|48 Ku-band||
Zenit-3SL||Active|-|
Hotbird 8|International|
Eutelsat|Television broadcasting|64 Ku-band, 64 Ka-band||
Proton-M|Known as Hotbird 13B|Active|-|
Hotbird 9|International|
Eutelsat|Television broadcasting|64 Ku-band, 64 Ka-band||
Ariane 5 ECA|Known as Hotbird 13C|Active|-|
Hotbird 10|International|
Eutelsat|Television broadcasting|64 Ku-band, 64 Ka-band||
Ariane 5 ECA|Known as Eutelsat 33E|Active|-|
Intelsat 10-02|International|
Intelsat|Communications|45 C-band, 16 Ku-band||
Proton-M|Known as Thor 10-02|Active|-|Intelsat 32e|International|
Intelsat|Television broadcasting|81 Ku-band, 21 Ka-band||
Ariane 5 ECA|Known as Sky-Brasil 1|Active|-|
KA-SAT|International|
Eutelsat|Television broadcasting|Ka-band||
Proton-M|Known as Eutelsat KA-SAT 9A|Active|-|
MEASAT-3b|Malaysia|
MEASAT Satellite Systems|Communications|48 Ku-band||
Ariane 5 ECA|Known as Jabiru 2|Active|-|MEASAT-3d|Malaysia|
MEASAT Satellite Systems|Television broadcasting & satellite internet|C-band, Ku-band, L-band||
Ariane 5 ECA||Active|-|
SES-6|Luxembourg |
SES|Television broadcasting|38 C-band, 36 Ku-band||
Proton-M||Active|-|
SES-10|Luxembourg |
SES|Television broadcasting|50 Ku-band||
Falcon 9||Active|-|
Telstar 12V|United States|
Telesat|Communications|52 Ku-band||
H-IIA 204||Active|-|Tiba 1|Egypt|
Government of Egypt|Communications|Ka-band||
Ariane 5 ECA||Active|-|
Yahsat 1A|United Arab Emirates|
Al Yah|Communications|14 C-band, 25 Ku-band, 21 Ka-band||
Ariane 5 ECA|Known as Al Yah 1|Active|-|Yahsat 1B|United Arab Emirates|
Al Yah|Communications|25 Ka-band, 21 secure Ka-band||
Proton-M|Known as Al Yah 2|Active|-|}
Eurostar-3000EOR
|-! Satellite! Country! Operator! Type! Coverage ! Launch date (
GMT) ! Rocket!width="200pt"| Changes! Status |-|Eutelsat 172B|International|
Eutelsat|Communications|14 C-band, 36 Ku-band||
Ariane 5 ECA||Active|-|
Inmarsat-6 F1|International|
Inmarsat|Communications|L-band, Ka-band||
H-IIA 204|Known as GX 6A|Active|-|Inmarsat-6 F2|International|
Inmarsat|Communications|L-band, Ka-band||
Falcon 9|Known as GX 6B|Active|-|
SES-12|Luxembourg |
SES|Communications|68 Ku-band, 8 Ka-band||
Falcon 9||Active|-|
SES-14 / GOLD|Luxembourg |
SES|Television broadcasting|C-band, Ku-band, GOLD||
Ariane 5 ECA||Active|-|Syracuse 4B|France |
DGA|Military communications|X-band, Ka-band||
Ariane 5 ECA|Also known as Comsat-NG 2|Active|-|
Türksat 5A|Turkey|
Türksat|Communications|Ku-band||
Falcon 9||Active|-|
Türksat 5B|Turkey|
Türksat|Communications|Ku-band, Ka-band||
Falcon 9||Active|-|}
Eurostar-3000GM
|-! Satellite! Country! Operator! Type! Coverage ! Launch date (
GMT) ! Rocket!width="200pt"| Changes! Status |-|
Inmarsat-4 F1|International|
Inmarsat|Mobile communications|L-band||
Atlas V 431||Active|-|Inmarsat-4 F2|International|
Inmarsat|Mobile communications|L-band||
Zenit-3SL||Active|-|
Inmarsat-4 F3|International|
Inmarsat|Mobile communications|L-band||
Proton-M||Active|-|}
Eurostar-3000S
|-! Satellite! Country! Operator! Type! Coverage ! Launch date (
GMT) ! Rocket!width="200pt"| Changes! Status |-|
Amazonas 1|Spain|
Hispasat|Television broadcasting|36 Ku-band, 27 C-band||
Proton-M||Retired|-|Anik F1|Canada|
Telesat|Communications|24 C-band, 32 Ku-band||
Proton-M||Active|-|Anik F3|Canada|
Telesat|Communications|24 C-band, 32 Ku-band, 2 Ka-band||
Proton-M||Active|-|
Eutelsat W3A|International|
Eutelsat|Communications|38 Ku-band, 2 Ka-band||
Proton-M|Known as Eutelsat 7A|Active|-|
Nimiq-4|Canada|
Telesat|Communications|32 Ku-band, 8 Ka-band||
Proton-M||Active|-|
Skynet 5A|United Kingdom|
Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)|Military communications|||
Ariane 5 ECA||Active|-|
Skynet 5B|United Kingdom|
Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)|Military communications|||
Ariane 5 ECA||Active|-|
Skynet 5C|United Kingdom|
Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)|Military communications|||
Ariane 5 ECA||Active|-|
Skynet 5D|United Kingdom|
Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)|Military communications|||
Ariane 5 ECA||Active|-|}
AstroBus-G
|-! Satellite! Country! Operator! Type! Coverage ! Launch date (
GMT) ! Rocket!width="200pt"| Changes! Status |-|
Chollian|South Korea|
KARI|Meteorology |||
Ariane 5 ECA|Known as GEO-Kompsat 1|Active|-|}
Eurostar-Neo
|-! Satellite! Country! Operator! Type! Coverage ! Launch date (
GMT) ! Rocket!width="200pt"| Changes! Status |-|Arabsat 7B|Saudi Arabia|
Arabsat|Communications|C-band, Ku-band, TELEO||
Falcon 9|Known as Badr 8|Active|-|Eutelsat 36D|International|
Eutelsat|Television broadcasting|70 Ku-band||
Falcon 9||Awaiting launch|-|Hotbird 13F|International|
Eutelsat|Television broadcasting|80 Ku-band||
Falcon 9||Active|-|Hotbird 13G|International|
Eutelsat|Television broadcasting|80 Ku-band||
Falcon 9||Active|-|
Skynet 6A|United Kingdom|
Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)|Military communications|||
Falcon 9||Awaiting launch|-|
Spainsat NG I|Spain|
Hispasat|Military communications|X-band, Ka-band, UHF||
Falcon 9||Awaiting launch|-|
Spainsat NG II|Spain|
Hispasat|Military communications|X-band, Ka-band, UHF||
Falcon 9||Awaiting launch|-|Thuraya 4|United Arab Emirates|
Thuraya|Mobile communications|L-band||
Falcon 9||Awaiting launch|-|Thuraya 5|United Arab Emirates|
Thuraya|Mobile communications|L-band||||Awaiting launch|-|}
OneSat
|-! Satellite! Country! Operator! Type! Coverage ! Launch date (
GMT) ! Rocket!width="200pt"| Changes! Status |-|Inmarsat-7 F1|International|
Inmarsat|Communications|Ka-band||||Known as GX7|Awaiting launch|-|Inmarsat-7 F2|International|
Inmarsat|Communications|Ka-band||||Known as GX8|Awaiting launch|-|Inmarsat-7 F3|International|
Inmarsat|Communications|Ka-band|||Known as GX9|Awaiting launch|-|Intelsat 42|International|
Intelsat|Communications|Reconfigurable multiband||||Awaiting launch|-|Intelsat 43|International|
Intelsat|Communications|Reconfigurable multiband||||Awaiting launch|-|Optus 11|Australia |
Optus|Communications|Ku-band||
Ariane 64||Awaiting launch|-|Superbird-9|Japan|
SKY Perfect JSAT|Communications|Ka-band, Ku-band||
Starship||Awaiting launch|-|Thaicom TBD|Thailand|
Thaicom|Communications|Ku-band||||Awaiting launch|-|}
Notes and References
- Astrium celebrates 500 years of successful Eurostar satellite operation in orbit, UKspace, 27.12.2013 http://www.ukspace.org/news-item/astrium-celebrates-500-years-of-successful-eurostar-satellite-operation-in-orbit/
- Eurostar E3000 Three-Year Flight Experience and Perspective (AIAA-2007-3124). Jean-François Poussin . Gerard Berger. 25th AIAA International Communications Satellite Systems Conference. April 13, 2007 . 1 May 2023.
- Web site: Inmarsat-2 F1, 2, 3, 4 . space.skyrocket.de . 2017-12-11 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201009045758/https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/inmarsat-2.htm . 2020-10-09 . 2020-10-09 .
- Web site: La deuxième génération Telecom . French . The second generation Telecom . Eurespace . 2020-10-09 .
- Web site: Eurostar 3000. https://web.archive.org/web/20161228063441/http://astronautix.com/e/eurostar3000.html. dead. December 28, 2016. 2021-02-11. www.astronautix.com.
- First Airbus Eurostar Neo satellite is born . Airbus . 12 February 2021 . 9 November 2021.
- Web site: Eurostar . Airbus Defence & Space . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20201009075554if_/https://www.airbus.com/space/telecommunications-satellites/eurostar-series.html . 2020-10-09 . 2020-10-09 .
