Eutelsat Communications announced Thursday it has selected EADS Astrium to build its HOT BIRD 9 broadcast satellite, scheduled for launch in 2008, to be positioned in the company's geostationary neighborhood at 13 degrees east longitude.
The new satellite's deployment at Eutelsat's key position for satellite and cable broadcasting underpins the Group's objectives to continue to renew capacity at its HOT BIRD position, raise in-orbit redundancy and security for broadcasting clients and increase overall flexibility across its fleet, EADS Astrium said in a statement.
HOT BIRD 9 is based on the Eurostar E3000 platform already selected for HOT BIRD 8. The new satellite's capacity will be three times larger than the previous generation of HOT BIRDs. It will operate up to 64 transponders in Ku-band at a payload power of 11 kilowatts for its planned 15-year service lifetime.
Designed to cover all 102 Ku-band transponders in the HOT BIRD orbital position, the ninth spacecraft in the series will be able to substitute any transponder on any other HOT BIRD.
EADS Astrium said its "broad footprint and high emission power will enable digital and new HDTV channels as well as interactive services to be received by small DTH antennas and cable and community networks throughout Europe, North Africa and the Middle East."
The terms of the agreement call for EADS Astrium to deliver HOT BIRD 9 – the 14th satellite commissioned by Eutelsat from the company, to be delivered for launch in the third quarter 2008.
