Astra 2E

Astra 2E
Mission type Communications
Operator SES
COSPAR ID 2013-056A
SATCAT no. 39285
Mission duration 15 years
Spacecraft properties
Bus Eurostar-3000
Manufacturer Astrium
(now Airbus Defence and Space)
Launch mass 6,020 kilograms (13,270 lb)
Start of mission
Launch date 29 September 2013, 21:38 (2013-09-29UTC21:38Z) UTC
Rocket Proton-M/Briz-M
Launch site Baikonur 200/39
Contractor ILS
Orbital parameters
Reference system Geocentric
Regime Geostationary
Longitude 43.5°E (2013, testing)
28.2°E (2014-)
Slot Astra 28.2°E
Semi-major axis 42,163 kilometres (26,199 mi)[1]
Perigee 35,783 kilometres (22,235 mi)[1]
Apogee 35,802 kilometres (22,246 mi)[1]
Inclination 0.1 degrees[1]
Period 1436.0 minutes[1]
Epoch 21 August 2018, 11:01:02 UTC[1]

Astra 2E is one of the Astra communications satellites owned and operated by SES, launched to the Astra 28.2°E orbital slot on 30 September 2013[2] after a 10-week delay caused by rocket launcher problems. The satellite provides free-to-air and encrypted direct-to-home (DTH) digital TV and satellite broadband services for Europe and the Middle East.[3]

After launch, Astra 2E underwent in-orbit testing at 43.5°E[4] and began commercial operations at 28.2°E in February 2014.[5] At that time, channels broadcast via Astra 1N (temporarily located at 28.2°E pending Astra 1E's launch) were transferred to Astra 2E and Astra 1N relocated to its design position at 19.2°E.[6]

Astra 2E is the second of three 'second generation' satellites for the 28.2°E position to replace the first generation Astra 2A, Astra 2B, Astra 2C and Astra 2D craft originally positioned there between 1998 and 2001.[7] The first, Astra 2F, was launched in 2012[8] and the third, Astra 2G, was launched in 2014 (launched on 27 December 2014[9]).

Unlike other SES/Astra spacecraft, the launch order of Astra 2E and Astra 2F is not reflected in their alphabetical names, with Astra 2F launched 10 months before Astra 2E.

Market

The Astra 28.2°E position was established in 1998 to provide digital TV, digital radio and multimedia services to the UK and Republic of Ireland, and Astra 2E’s primary mission is to continue this provision as replacement and follow-on capacity to the Astra 2A, Astra 2D and Astra 1N satellites. Along with Astra 2F it delivers programming to almost 13 million satellite homes, over 3 million cable homes, and 700,000 IPTV homes in the UK and Ireland, in particular for channels from the major UK digital satellite TV platforms, BSkyB and Freesat.[10]

ASTRA 2E also delivers broadcast and VSAT services in Europe, Middle East and Africa in Ku-band.[11] and Ka-band capacity will provide internet via satellite with download speeds of up to 20 Mbit/s to Germany.[12]

Broadcasting footprint

Astra 2E has three Ku-band downlink beams covering Europe Americas and The Middle East Register

  • The Europe beam is centred on the English Channel with maximum signal over the UK, Ireland, France, Benelux, and parts of Germany, Austria, and Spain (including a "lobe" specifically designed to serve the Canary Islands), and reception on a larger dish extending to Italy, Poland, North Africa, and the Balkans.
  • The UK Spot beam provides maximum signal (for 45 cm dishes) over the UK, Ireland, Benelux and Northern France with a sharp roll-off of signal level outside this region, in close approximation of the UK Beam of Astra 2D. This enables channels to be broadcast free-to-air but with reception effectively constrained to the British Isles, and has been the basis for the Freesat free-to-air UK platform.[13]
  • The Middle East beam is centred on the Arabian peninsula and extends to Turkey and into eastern Africa, to provide for reception with 50 cm dishes.

The Ka-band footprint for satellite broadband provides full service coverage centred on central Europe and extending to France, Italy, the Balkans, the UK, and southern Sweden and Norway.[11]

The craft is fitted with 60 Ku-band transponders.[14]

Launch delay

The launch of Astra 2E was intended to be by ILS Proton-M rocket on 21 July 2013[15] but the previous launch of this rocket on 2 July 2013, carrying three Russian GLONASS navigation satellites, ended with the rocket exploding shortly after lift off[16] and the Proton launch programme was postponed. The fault with the failed rocket was found to be the incorrect installation of three angular rate sensors, the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) reported,[17] and the launch programme was recommenced in September 2013.

TV Channels on Astra 2E

Below is a list, as of May 2018, of the TV and radio channels broadcast from Astra 2E on its UK Beam and European Beam (the UK Beam is the most difficult to receive outside the British Isles):[18]

In the list, TV channels broadcast with a one-hour delay are shown Channel +1hr. Where both the original and the delayed channel are broadcast from the same transponder, this is shown in one entry as Channel [also +1hr].

UK Beam

Tp41 10.714 GHz H 22000 5/6:

  • Channel 4 London
  • Channel 4 South & East
  • Channel 4 Midlands
  • Channel 4 North
  • Channel 4 Northern Ireland
  • Channel 4 Scotland
  • E4
  • Film4
  • More4 +1hr
  • 4Music

Tp42 10.729 GHz V 22000 5/6:

  • Channel 4 London +1hr
  • Channel 4 South & East +1hr
  • Channel 4 Midlands +1hr
  • Channel 4 North +1hr
  • Channel 4 Northern Ireland +1hr
  • Channel 4 Scotland +1hr
  • E4 +1hr
  • Film4 Ireland (Videoguard)
  • Film4 UK
  • More4

Tp44 10.758 GHz V 22000 5/6:

  • CITV
  • ITV 2
  • ITV 4 [also +1hr]
  • ITV Be
  • ITV London
  • ITV Granada
  • ITV Anglia East [also +1hr]
  • ITV Central West
  • ITV Meridian East +1hr

Tp45 10.773 GHz H 22000 5/6:

  • CBeebies
  • BBC Four
  • BBC One Channel Islands
  • BBC One East West
  • BBC One London
  • BBC One West
  • BBC Two England

Tp46 10.788 GHz V 22000 5/6:

  • BBC One E. Yorks & Lincs
  • BBC One East East
  • BBC One East Midlands
  • BBC One West Midlands
  • BBC One Wales
  • BBC Two Wales
  • BBC Parliament

  • BBC Radio 3
  • BBC Radio 4
  • BBC Radio 4 Extra
  • BBC Radio 6 Music
  • BBC Radio Cymru
  • BBC Radio Foyle
  • BBC Radio nan Gàidheal
  • BBC Radio Scotland
  • BBC Radio Wales
  • BBC Radio Ulster
  • BBC World Service

Tp47 10.803 GHz H 22000 5/6:

  • BBC Alba
  • BBC One Scotland
  • BBC One North East & Cumbria
  • BBC One North West
  • BBC One South East
  • BBC One Yorkshire & North Midlands
  • BBC Two Scotland

  • BBC Radio 1
  • BBC Radio 1xtra
  • BBC Radio 2
  • BBC Radio 5 Live
  • BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra
  • BBC Asian Network
  • BBC London

Tp48 10.818 GHz V 22000 5/6:

  • BBC Three
  • CBBC
  • BBC News
  • BBC One Northern Ireland
  • BBC One Oxford
  • BBC One South
  • BBC One South West
  • BBC Two Northern Ireland

Tp50 10.847 GHz V 23000 2/3 DVB-S2:

  • CBBC HD
  • BBC One HD
  • BBC One Northern Ireland HD
  • BBC Two HD

Tp53 10.891 GHz H 22000 5/6:

  • ITV Be +1hr
  • ITV Border
  • ITV Central West +1hr
  • ITV London +1hr
  • ITV Meridian South Coast
  • ITV Meridian East
  • ITV Westcountry South West +1hr
  • ITV Tyne Tees
  • ITV Yorkshire West
  • ITV2 +1hr
  • ITV 3 (Videoguard)

Tp54 10.906 GHz V 22000 5/6:

  • ITV Channel Television
  • ITV Granada +1hr
  • ITV Westcountry South West
  • STV East
  • STV North
  • STV Tayside
  • STV West
  • UTV [also +1hr]
  • ITV 3 [also +1hr]

Tp113 11.386 GHz H 27500 8/9 (encrypted in Videoguard):

  • BT Sport 2 HD
  • BT Sport 2 in Pubs HD
  • BT Sport ESPN HD

Tp114 11.386 GHz V 27500 3/4 (encrypted in Videoguard):

  • AMC UK HD
  • BT Sport 1 HD
  • BT Sport 3 HD

Tp116 11.426 GHz V 27500 5/6:

  • Craft Extra
  • Food Network [also +1hr]
  • France 24 English
  • France 24 English HD
  • FreeSports
  • Gems TV
  • PBS Network
  • TV5Monde

European Beam

Tp3 11.758 GHz H 29500 8/9 DVB-S2 (encrypted in Videoguard):

  • Sky Insider
  • Sky On Demand
  • Sky UHD1
  • Star Gold UK

Tp7 11.836 GHz H 27500 5/6 (encrypted in Videoguard):

  • Challenge [also +1hr] (unencrypted)
  • Crime + Investigation +1hr
  • Forces TV (unencrypted)
  • LFC TV
  • Oireachtas TV
  • Real Lives +1hr
  • RTÉ 2
  • RTÉ Junior
  • RTÉ NewsNow
  • RTÉ One [also +1hr]
  • TG4
  • TV3 +1hr
  • Viceland
  • 3e

  • RTÉ Lyric
  • RTÉ Radio 1
  • RTÉ Radio 2
  • RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta

Tp8 11.856 GHz V 29500 8/9 DVB-S2 (encrypted in Videoguard):

  • British Eurosport 1 HD
  • British Eurosport 2 HD
  • E4 HD
  • Film4 UK HD
  • Sky Sports Arena HD
  • Sky Sports Main Event Ireland HD

Tp10 11.895 GHz V 27500 2/3 (encrypted in Videoguard):

  • Club MTV
  • MTV [also +1hr]
  • MTV Base
  • MTV Classic
  • MTV Hits
  • MTV Ireland
  • MTV Music [also +1hr]
  • MTV OMG
  • MTV Rocks
  • VH-1

Tp11 11.914 GHz H 27500 5/6 (encrypted in Videoguard):

  • Baby TV
  • Disney Channel [also +1hr]
  • Disney Junior [also +1hr]
  • Disney XD [also +1hr]
  • Nicktoons
  • RTÉ One
  • RTÉ 2
  • RTÉ News Now
  • Sky News Arabia (unencrypted)
  • Sky Sports Arena Ireland
  • Sky Sports Golf Ireland
  • TG4

  • RTÉ Lyric
  • RTÉ Radio 1
  • RTÉ Radio 2
  • RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta

Tp12 11.934 GHz V 27500 5/6 (encrypted in Videoguard):

  • Challenge Ireland (unencrypted)
  • Ginx eSports TV
  • Sky Cinema Action & Adventure
  • Sky Cinema Comedy
  • Sky Cinema Crime & Thriller
  • Sky Cinema Disney
  • Sky Cinema Drama & Romance
  • Sky Cinema Family
  • Sky Cinema Greats
  • Sky Cinema Premiere [also +1hr]
  • Sky Cinema Sci-Fi & Horror
  • Sky Cinema Select
  • Sky Help (unencrypted)

Tp13 11.954 GHz H 27500 2/3:

  • QVC

Tp14 11.973 GHz V 27500 2/3:

  • Madani Channel English

Tp16 12.012 GHz V 29500 8/9 DVB-S2 (encrypted in Videoguard):

  • Sky Cinema Crime + Thriller HD
  • Sky Cinema Family HD
  • Sky Cinema Premiere HD
  • Sky Cinema Select HD
  • Sky One Ireland

Tp19 12.070 GHz H 27500 5/6 (encrypted in Videoguard):

  • Sky Sports Active 1-9

Tp20 12.090 GHz V 27500 8/9 DVB-S2 (encrypted in Videoguard):

  • Alibi HD
  • Comedy Central HD
  • Disney XD HD
  • Gold HD
  • MTV HD
  • National Geographic HD
  • Nickelodeon HD

Tp33 12.344 GHz H 29500 8/9 DVB-S2 (encrypted in Videoguard):

  • Discovery Channel HD
  • Fox HD
  • Sky One HD
  • Sky Arts HD
  • Sky Atlantic HD
  • Sky Cinema Hits HD
  • Sky Living HD
  • Sky News HD
  • Sky Sports Box Office HD

Tp34 12.363 GHz V 29500 8/9 DVB-S2 (encrypted in Videoguard):

  • Sky News Ireland HD
  • Sky Sports Action HD
  • Sky Sports Cricket HD
  • Sky Sports F1 HD
  • Sky Sports Mix HD
  • Sky Sports News Ireland HD

Tp38 12.441 GHz V 29500 8/9 DVB-S2:

  • Astra UHD Demo
  • SES Ultra HD Demo Channel

Tp39 12.460 GHz H 29500 8/9 DVB-S2 (encrypted in Videoguard):

  • Nick Jnr HD
  • Sky Sports Football HD
  • Sky Sports Golf HD
  • Sky Sports Main Event HD
  • Sky Sports News HD
  • Sky Sports Premier League HD

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "ASTRA 2E Satellite details 2013-056A NORAD 39285". N2YO. August 21, 2018. Retrieved August 21, 2018.
  2. ↑ "ASTRA 2E successfully launched" (Press release). SES. September 30, 2013. Retrieved September 30, 2013.
  3. ↑ Astra 2E Footprints] SES. Accessed September 17, 2018
  4. ↑ "Astra 2E at REAL TIME SATELLITE TRACKING AND PREDICTIONS". Retrieved 30 December 2013.
  5. ↑ "SES's ASTRA 2E SATELLITE GOES LIVE at 28.2/28.5 DEGREES EAST OVER EMEA" (Press release). SES. January 31, 2014. Retrieved February 27, 2014.
  6. ↑ Changes to BBC satellite transponders in 2013 December 12, 2012. BBC Distribution blog. Accessed July 16, 2013
  7. ↑ "SES Orders Four New Satellites From ASTRIUM" (Press release). SES. 30 November 2009. Retrieved August 28, 2012.
  8. ↑ "SES SUCCESSFULLY LAUNCHES ASTRA 2F SATELLITE" (Press release). SES. October 1, 2012. Retrieved October 1, 2012.
  9. ↑ "ASTRA 2G SATELLITE ROARS INTO ORBIT" (Press release). SES. November 28, 2014. Retrieved January 1, 2015.
  10. ↑ ASTRA 2F arrives at the Guiana Space Centre, Kourou August 23, 2012. SES blog. Accessed August 26, 2012
  11. 1 2 Astra 2E factsheet on www.ses.com Accessed October 30, 2013
  12. ↑ Ten things about ASTRA 2E July 1, 2013. SES blog. Accessed July 16, 2013
  13. ↑ Bains, Geoff. "Flight of the Big Birds" What Satellite & Digital TV February 2012 pp29
  14. ↑ http://www.ses.com/15533195/ten-things-about-astra-2e
  15. ↑ "SES' ASTRA 2E SATELLITE SHIPPED TO BAIKONUR COSMODROME FOR JULY 21 LAUNCH" (Press release). SES. June 16, 2013. Retrieved July 16, 2013.
  16. ↑ Russian Proton-M rocket crashes, erupts in ball of fire July 2, 2013. Russia Today website report. Accessed July 26, 2013
  17. ↑ Incorrect installation of angular rate sensors behind July 2 Proton-M crash - commission findings July 18, 2013. Interfax. Accessed September 30, 2013
  18. ↑ "Astra 2E at 28.2°E". LyngSat. Retrieved May 31, 2018.

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