Following the launch on 4th August 2006 by an ILS Proton Breeze M, Eutelsat's HOT BIRD 8 satellite (EADS SPACE's seventh Eurostar E3000 spacecraft in-orbit), has reached geosynchronous orbit through three apogee engine firings. Its 16 kW solar array and antenna reflectors are both fully deployed, and the spacecraft has acquired its final Earth-pointing control mode.
All systems are operating nominally. The payload has been switched on and will be fully tested at 1.7oE longitude on the geostationary arc before the satellite is moved to its operational position at 13oE and enters commercial service.
Equipped with 64 Ku-band transponders, HOT BIRD 8 has a capacity almost three times that of the previous-generation HOT BIRD satellites. It is the most powerful satellite ever built in Europe and the most powerful satellite ever ordered by a European operator.
As prime contractor for HOT BIRD 8, EADS SPACE designed and built the satellite, including the Ku-band payload and the platform. The satellite is a Eurostar E3000 model equipped with a two-level communications module, an all-chemical propulsion system and lithium-ion batteries. HOT BIRD 8 is designed to have a 15-year service life in orbit.
To date 43 Eurostar satellites have been ordered, 30 of which have already been successfully launched. Seven Eurostar E3000s are currently operating in orbit, while eight more are in production.
