BulgariaSat-1 is 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 Bulgaria Sat and manufactured by SSL. The satellite will provide high definition and

ultra-high-definition television Ultra-high-definition television (also known as Ultra HD television, Ultra HD, UHDTV, UHD and Super Hi-Vision) today includes 4K UHD and 8K UHD, which are two digital video formats with an aspect ratio of 16:9. These were first proposed by ...

very-small-aperture terminal A very-small-aperture terminal (VSAT) is a two-way satellite ground station with a dish antenna that is smaller than 3.8 meters. The majority of VSAT antennas range from 75 cm to 1.2 m. Bit rates, in most cases, range from 4 kbit/s up to 16 ...

(VSAT) communications,

satellite news gathering Electronic news-gathering (ENG) or electronic journalism (EJ) is usage of electronic video and audio technologies by reporters to gather and present news instead of using film cameras. The term was coined during the rise of videotape technol ...

relays, and other communications services, primarily to the

Balkan Peninsula The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...

and

Central Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...

Western Europe Western Europe is the western region of Europe. The region's countries and territories vary depending on context. The concept of "the West" appeared in Europe in juxtaposition to "the East" and originally applied to the ancient Mediterranean ...

Spacecraft

BulgariaSat-1 is based on an intermediate-power variant of the

SSL 1300 The SSL 1300, previously the LS-1300 and the FS-1300, is a satellite bus produced by Maxar Technologies. Total broadcast power ranges from 5 to 25 kW, and the platform can accommodate from 12 to 150 transponders. The SSL 1300 is a modular platf ...

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 ...

with a 15+ year design life. Coupled with the boost provided by its Falcon 9 launch vehicle, it carries enough fuel for more than 18 years of service. Power is supplied by two three-panel

solar array A photovoltaic system, also PV system or solar power system, is an electric power system designed to supply usable solar power by means of photovoltaics. It consists of an arrangement of several components, including solar panels to absorb and co ...

s delivering 10 kilowatts, while propulsion is provided by an R-4D-11

hypergolic A hypergolic propellant is a rocket propellant combination used in a rocket engine, whose components spontaneously ignite when they come into contact with each other. The two propellant components usually consist of a fuel and an oxidizer. The ...

rocket engine supplemented by an array of

attitude control Attitude control is the process of controlling the orientation of an aerospace vehicle with respect to an inertial frame of reference or another entity such as the celestial sphere, certain fields, and nearby objects, etc. Controlling vehicle ...

thrusters. The spacecraft is equipped with 30 K_u-band

broadcasting-satellite service Broadcasting-satellite service (short: BSS | also: ''broadcasting-satellite radiocommunication service '') is – according to ''Article 1.39'' of the International Telecommunication Union's (ITU) Radio Regulations (RR) – defined as ''«A ...

(BSS) transponders and 3 K_u-band

fixed-satellite service Fixed-satellite service (short: FSS | also: fixed-satellite radiocommunication service) is – according to ''article 1.21'' of the International Telecommunication Union's (ITU) Radio Regulations (RR) – defined as ''A radiocommunication se ...

(FSS) transponders. It will be parked in geostationary orbit at 1.9° East. BulgariaSat-1 is the first Bulgarian satellite to operate in geostationary orbit, and is the nation's second spacecraft after Bulgaria 1300 in 1981.

History

SSL (formerly Space Systems/Loral) was announced in September 2014 to be the selected manufacturer of BulgariaSat-1. In addition, the company has partnered with Bulgaria Sat to secure financing, insurance, and the Falcon 9 launch vehicle. The

Export–Import Bank of the United States The Export–Import Bank of the United States (EXIM) is the official export credit agency (ECA) of the United States federal government. Operating as a wholly owned federal government corporation, the bank "assists in financing and facilitating ...

has provided in export credit financing to Bulgaria Sat. The CEO of Bulgaria Sat, Maxim Zayakov, stated that the total cost of the BulgariaSat-1 project was . At the time of SSL's contract award, BulgariaSat-1 was scheduled to launch by the end of 2016. Delays within SpaceX, including the loss of two Falcon 9 rockets, pushed the launch back to 15 June 2017; additional delays resulting from pressure within SpaceX's launch schedule and the need to replace a valve in the Falcon 9 launch fairing pushed the launch to 23 June.

SpaceX Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) is an American spacecraft manufacturer, launcher, and a satellite communications corporation headquartered in Hawthorne, California. It was founded in 2002 by Elon Musk with the stated goal of ...

launched BulgariaSat-1 on 23 June 2017 from

Kennedy Space Center The John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC, originally known as the NASA Launch Operations Center), located on Merritt Island, Florida, is one of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) ten field centers. Since December 1968 ...

Launch Complex 39A Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) is the first of Launch Complex 39's three launch pads, located at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Merritt Island, Florida. The pad, along with Launch Complex 39B, were first designed for the Saturn V launch vehicle. Ty ...

. The Falcon 9 first stage B1029 used to launch the spacecraft was previously flown for an

Iridium NEXT The Iridium satellite constellation provides L band voice and data information coverage to satellite phones, pagers and integrated transceivers over the entire surface of Earth. Iridium Communications owns and operates the constellation, additio ...

mission in January 2017, only the second time that SpaceX had reflown a booster. This booster successfully landed on the SpaceX drone ship ''

Of Course I Still Love You An autonomous spaceport drone ship (ASDS) is an ocean-going vessel derived from a deck barge, outfitted with station-keeping engines and a large landing platform and is autonomously controlled when on station for a landing. Construction of ...

'' after completing its BulgariaSat-1 flight. In mid-July 2017, Bulgaria Sat stated that during its intensive preparations for commercial operations on the satellite, all systems of BulgariaSat-1 were functioning normally. By the time of launch, the satellite had been targeted to be operational in early August 2017 but this was pushed back to later in the year. Bulgaria Sat will use

Ericsson (lit. "Telephone Stock Company of LM Ericsson"), commonly known as Ericsson, is a Swedish multinational networking and telecommunications company headquartered in Stockholm. The company sells infrastructure, software, and services in informat ...

equipment for the distribution of ultra-high-definition television to the Balkans region.

Bulgaria Sat

Bulgaria Sat, headquartered in

Sofia, Bulgaria Sofia ( ; bg, София, Sofiya, ) is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain in the western parts of the country. The city is built west of the Iskar river, and ha ...

, is the country's only owner of its own satellite. The company provides satellite communications to broadcast, telecom, corporate and government customers. Bulgaria Sat is an affiliate of

Bulsatcom Bulsatcom is Bulgarian satellite television, internet & mobile operator, founded in 2000 as the first DVB-S operator in the country. The company is operated from Sofia and Stara Zagora. Since 2009 it has entered the internet service provisioning m ...

, the largest provider of pay-TV services in Bulgaria.

Awards

Bulgaria Sat, Bulgaria's sole satellite operator and the country's innovator in space industry, was awarded "Newcomer Satellite Operator of the Year" for 2017 during the 14th Annual Awards for Excellence in Satellite Communications which took place as part of the Summit for Satellite Financing, the main event of the annual World Satellite Business Week 2017. The ceremony took place on 13 September in Paris, France.

References

{{Use dmy dates, date=August 2017 Communications satellites in geostationary orbit Satellites using the SSL 1300 bus SpaceX commercial payloads Satellites of Bulgaria Spacecraft launched in 2017 2017 in Bulgaria