Five Tons Of W5A

Eutelsat Communications has selected Astrium to build a 48-transponder Ku-band satellite that will be located at its 70.5 degrees East location in geostationary orbit. Scheduled for launch in fourth quarter 2012, the satellite will replace the W5 craft and more than double Eutelsat’s resources at 70.5 degrees East. It will be used for a range of professional applications that include government services, broadband access, GSM backhauling and professional video in Europe, Africa and Central and South-East Asia.

 

Weighing in at five tons, W5A will be based on the Astrium Eurostar E3000 platform, with a designed in-orbit lifetime exceeding 15 years. Each of the satellite’s four high-performance fixed beams will be focused over a distinct zone: Europe, Africa, Central Asia and South-East Asia, reaching as far as Australia. Through a high degree of on-board connectivity, clients will be able to use the beams either for regional coverage or to interconnect continents. This will support high-growth services that include secure government communications in Central Asia through hubs located in the region or in Europe, business networks between South-East Asia and Africa, and direct connectivity between Europe and Australia. W5A is the 10th telecommunication satellite awarded to Astrium in the past 18 months