Ekspress-AM22 (russian: Экспресс-АМ22, meaning ''Express-AM22'') is a Russian

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 ...

. It belongs to the Russian Satellite Communications Company (RSCC) based in

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 millio ...

, Russia.

Eutelsat SESAT-2

The satellite has a total of 24 transponders, 12 of which are referred to as SESAT-2, and are leased to Eutelsat by the Russian Satellite Communications Company (RSCC). The remaining 12 transponders, with domestic coverage of the Russian Federation, are commercialised by the RSCC under the name Ekspress-AM22.

Launch

Ekspress-AM22 was launched by Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center, using a

Proton-K The Proton-K, also designated Proton 8K82K after its GRAU index or SL-12 after its model number, 8K82K, was a Russian, previously Soviet, carrier rocket derived from the earlier Proton. It was built by Khrunichev, and launched from sites 81 an ...

/ DM-02

launch vehicle A launch vehicle or carrier rocket is a rocket designed to carry a payload ( spacecraft or satellites) from the Earth's surface to outer space. Most launch vehicles operate from a launch pads, supported by a launch control center and ...

. The launch took place at 23:00:00 UTC on 28 December 2003, from Site 200/39 at Baikonur Cosmodrome,

Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbeki ...

. Successfully deployed into geostationary transfer orbit (GTO), Ekspress-AM22 raised itself into an operational geostationary orbit using its

apogee motor An apogee kick motor (AKM) is a rocket motor that is regularly employed on artificial satellites to provide the final impulse to change the trajectory from the transfer orbit into its final (most commonly circular) orbit. For a satellite laun ...

Mission

The satellite can be received in Europe, Asia, the Middle East and the most part of Russia. The transfer takes place in the

Ku-band The Ku band () is the portion of the electromagnetic spectrum in the microwave range of frequencies from 12 to 18 gigahertz (GHz). The symbol is short for "K-under" (originally german: Kurz-unten), because it is the lower part of the ori ...

. Since the launch of Ekspress-AM6, Ekspress-AM22 has been moved to a new orbit at 80.0° East.

References

Ekspress satellites Spacecraft launched in 2003 2003 in Russia Satellites using the KAUR bus Eutelsat satellites Communications satellites in geostationary orbit Spacecraft launched by Proton rockets {{Russia-spacecraft-stub