BSAT-2a, was a

geostationary A geostationary orbit, also referred to as a geosynchronous equatorial orbit''Geostationary orbit'' and ''Geosynchronous (equatorial) orbit'' are used somewhat interchangeably in sources. (GEO), is a circular geosynchronous orbit in altitude ...

communications satellite A communications satellite is an artificial satellite that relays and amplifies radio telecommunication signals via a transponder; it creates a communication channel between a source transmitter and a receiver at different locations on Earth. C ...

operated by B-SAT which was designed and manufactured by

Orbital Sciences Corporation Orbital Sciences Corporation (commonly referred to as Orbital) was an American company specializing in the design, manufacture, and launch of small- and medium- class space and launch vehicle systems for commercial, military and other governmen ...

on the STAR-1 platform. It was stationed on the 110° East orbital slot along its companion

BSAT-2c BSAT-2c, was a geostationary communications satellite operated by B-SAT and was designed and manufactured by Orbital Sciences Corporation on the STAR-1 platform. It was stationed on the 110° East orbital slot along its companion BSAT ...

from where they provided redundant high definition direct television broadcasting across Japan.

Satellite description

BSAT-2a was designed and manufactured by

on the STAR-1

satellite bus A satellite bus (or spacecraft bus) is the main body and structural component of a satellite or spacecraft, in which the payload and all scientific instruments are held. Bus-derived satellites are opposed to specially produced satellites. Bus-d ...

for B-SAT. It had a launch mass of , a dry mass of , and a 10-year design life. As all four STAR-1 satellites, it had a solid rocket Star 30CBP

apogee kick motor An apogee kick motor (AKM) is a rocket motor A rocket engine uses stored rocket propellants as the reaction mass for forming a high-speed propulsive jet of fluid, usually high-temperature gas. Rocket engines are reaction engines, produ ...

for

orbit raising In celestial mechanics, an orbit is the curved trajectory of an physical body, object such as the trajectory of a planet around a star, or of a natural satellite around a planet, or of an satellite, artificial satellite around an object or pos ...

, plus of propellant for its liquid propellant station keeping thrusters. It measured when stowed for launch. Its dual wing solar panels can generate 2.6 kW of power at the beginning of its design life, and span when fully deployed. It has a single K_u band payload with four active

transponders In telecommunications, a transponder is a device that, upon receiving a signal, emits a different signal in response. The term is a blend of ''transmitter'' and ''responder''. In air navigation or radio frequency identification, a flight trans ...

plus four spares with a

TWTA A traveling-wave tube (TWT, pronounced "twit") or traveling-wave tube amplifier (TWTA, pronounced "tweeta") is a specialized vacuum tube that is used in electronics to amplify radio frequency (RF) signals in the microwave range. The TWT belongs t ...

output power of 130

Watt The watt (symbol: W) is the unit of power or radiant flux in the International System of Units (SI), equal to 1 joule per second or 1 kg⋅m2⋅s−3. It is used to quantify the rate of energy transfer. The watt is named after James Wa ...

History

In March 1999, B-SAT ordered from

two satellites based on the STAR-1 platform: BSAT-2a and

BSAT-2b BSAT-2b, was a geostationary communications satellite ordered by B-SAT which was designed and manufactured by Orbital Sciences Corporation on the STAR-1 platform. It was designed to be stationed on the 110° East orbital slot along its ...

. This was the second order of the bus and the first since Orbital had acquired CTA Space Systems, the original developer. BSAT-2a was launched aboard an

Ariane 5G Ariane 5 is a European heavy-lift space launch vehicle developed and operated by Arianespace for the European Space Agency (ESA). It is launched from the Centre Spatial Guyanais (CSG) in French Guiana. It has been used to deliver payloads into ...

at 22:51 UTC, March 8, 2001, from

Guiana Space Center The Guiana Space Centre (french: links=no, Centre spatial guyanais; CSG), also called Europe's Spaceport, is a European spaceport to the northwest of Kourou in French Guiana, a region of France in South America. Kourou is located approximatel ...

ELA-3 ELA-3 (french: Ensemble de Lancement Ariane 3, lit=Ariane Launch Complex 3), is a launch pad and associated facilities at the Centre Spatial Guyanais in French Guiana. ELA-3 is operated by Arianespace as part of the expendable launch system f ...

. It rode on the lower berth below

Eurobird Eurobird was a series of satellites owned and operated by Eutelsat. The Eurobird satellites provided broadcasting and telecommunication services primarily to the Western and Central European region from orbital positions of 9, 25.5 and 33 degrees ...

. On April 26, BSAT-2a was commissioned into service starting the broadcast of digital signals. B-SAT ended the broadcast of analog television in July 2011. During January 2013, BSAT-2a was sent to a graveyard orbit and decommissioned.

References

{{Orbital launches in 2001 Communications satellites in geostationary orbit Satellites using the GEOStar bus Spacecraft launched in 2001 Communications satellites of Japan Satellites of Japan