Satellite operator Eutelsat confirms a successful launch for the satellite that will help carry over a thousand TV channels across Europe, North Africa and the Middle East.
The Eutelsat Hotbird 13F satellite was successfully launched into Geostationary Transfer Orbit by American space launch provider SpaceX. The Falcon 9 rocket carrying the satellite lifted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, USA overnight (early this morning UK time).
Once into orbit and positioned, the satellite will, with its forthcoming twin, Hotbird 13G, reinforce and enhance the broadcast of more than a 1,000 television channels. The satellites will offer advanced features in terms of uplink signal protection and resilience. This is something that has become increasingly relevant, following the recent jamming of BBC Persian on Hotbird.
The two satellites will replace three older satellites at Eutelsat’s 13° East orbital position.
Space X YouTube coverage of the launch
Hotbird channels
The Hotbird satellites at 13°E are used to broadcast TV services from Poland, Italy, Greece, Switzerland and French-speaking Belgium. Hotbird is the also the home of numerous feeds for international channels. This includes a number from the BBC World Service and channels from countries including China, Dubai, Jordan, Spain and Portugal. In additon to providing direct to home (DTH) coverage, Hotbird is also used to supply cable and IPTV headends.
The separation of the all-electric satellite occurred after a 35-minute flight. The spacecraft systems initialisation was successfully completed over a period of 3 hours. The satellite will now undergo testing before it moves to its final orbital position and takes over services.
Hotbird 13F is one of two satellites built by Airbus Defence and Space. It is based on the Eurostar Neo telecommunications satellite platform. The platform was developed under an ESA Partnership Project with Airbus. It was designed to foster innovation and competitiveness in the European space industry.
Pascal Homsy, Eutelsat Chief Technical Officer said:
“Our congratulations to the Eutelsat, Airbus and SpaceX teams for successfully launching our EUTELSAT HOTBIRD 13F satellite into geostationary orbit. This satellite brings the latest technology resources of the new Eurostar Neo platform at our leading 13-degree East position and confirms a long-term partnership between Airbus and Eutelsat”.
Iain Hatton