The Eurostar E3000 is a generic satellite model most commonly used for commercial and military
communications satellites
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 ...
manufactured by
Airbus Defence and Space (formerly
Astrium
Astrium was an aerospace manufacturer subsidiary of the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS) that provided civil and military space systems and services from 2006 to 2013. In 2012, Astrium had a turnover of €5.8 billion and 1 ...
). It is a member of Airbus Defence and Space's
Eurostar
Eurostar is an international high-speed rail service connecting the United Kingdom with France, Belgium and the Netherlands. Most Eurostar trains travel through the Channel Tunnel between the United Kingdom and France, owned and operate ...
family. It utilises a chemical, bi-propellant propulsion system for
orbit raising and on-station manoeuvres with an optional plasma propulsion system (PPS). The PPS harnesses the Newtonian effect as a result of the ionisation of
xenon
Xenon is a chemical element with the symbol Xe and atomic number 54. It is a dense, colorless, odorless noble gas found in Earth's atmosphere in trace amounts. Although generally unreactive, it can undergo a few chemical reactions such as the ...
gas employed by the use of
Hall effect
The Hall effect is the production of a voltage difference (the Hall voltage) across an electrical conductor that is transverse to an electric current in the conductor and to an applied magnetic field perpendicular to the current. It was dis ...
plasma thrusters. This system is most commonly used for north–south station-keeping. The E3000 was the first commercial satellite family to use
lithium–ion batteries rather than the older nickel-based technologies for power supply during eclipses.
The E3000 bus can be modified extensively to meet customer requirements, but most of the E3000 satellites have a launch mass of between , and solar arrays between providing between nine and sixteen kilowatts at end of life. They tend to feature between 50 and 90 transponders, most often 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 ...
and
C-band.
There have been 52 satellites built around the E3000 platform including
ANASIS 2,
Hispasat's
Amazonas 1
Amazonas 1 or Hispasat 55W-1 was a communications satellite based on the Eurostar 3000 satellite bus and owned by satellites operator Hispasat, based in Madrid, Spain. It was launched on 5 August 2004, with a launch mass of 4,5 ton, on a Pro ...
and 2,
Arabsat-5A
Arabsat-5A is a Saudi Arabian communications satellite operated by Arabsat. It will be used to provide television, internet and telephone services to Arabia, Africa and Europe.
History
Arabsat-5A was constructed by Astrium, and is based on the Eu ...
, -5B, and -5C,
Astra 1M
Astra 1M is a geostationary communications satellite which is operated by SES. It is positioned in geostationary orbit at a longitude of 19.2° East, from where it is used to provide direct to home (DTH) broadcasting to Europe, Africa, and the ...
,
1N,
2E,
2F,
2G,
3B and
5B,
Eutelsat's
W3A and
Hot Bird 8–10,
Intelsat 10-02,
KA-SAT,
Atlantic Bird 7,
70B Telesat
Telesat, formerly Telesat Canada, is a Canadian satellite communications company founded on May 2, 1969. The company is headquartered in Ottawa.
History
Telesat began as Telesat Canada, a Canadian Crown corporation created by an Act of Pa ...
's
Anik F1R, F3 and
Nimiq-4,
Skynet 5A–C and the
Inmarsat 4-series of satellites. Each of the three Inmarsat 4 in service has a large deployable reflector as the main antenna.
In March 2015, Airbus Defence and Space received a delivery of new
3D-printed
3D printing or additive manufacturing is the construction of a three-dimensional object from a CAD model or a digital 3D model. It can be done in a variety of processes in which material is deposited, joined or solidified under computer co ...
brackets for mounting telemetry and tele-command antennas, being the first space-qualified 3D-printed component of its kind.
Eurostar E3000EOR
Also in March 2015, Airbus signed a contract with
Snecma
Safran Aircraft Engines, previously Snecma (''Société nationale d'études et de construction de moteurs d'aviation'') or Snecma Moteurs, is a French aerospace engine manufacturer headquartered in Courcouronnes and a subsidiary of Safran. It ...
for 5-kilowatt PPS5000
Hall-effect thruster
In spacecraft propulsion, a Hall-effect thruster (HET) is a type of ion thruster in which the propellant is accelerated by an electric field. Hall-effect thrusters (based on the discovery by Edwin Hall) are sometimes referred to as Hall thruste ...
s for the E3000 Electric Orbit Raising (E3000EOR) variant of the satellite bus. New thrusters would allow reducing the weight of a satellite by up to 40%., as
Türksat 5A
Türksat 5A, is a Turkish communications satellite, operated by Türksat A.Ş. for commercial and military purposes.
History
According to an agreement signed in September 2011, the satellite was developed by specialists in cooperation with ...
and
Türksat 5B
Türksat 5B is a Turkish geostationary high-throughput (HTS) communications satellite of Türksat A.Ş. developed for military and commercial purposes, and was launched on 19 December 2021, at 03:58:39 UTC.
Development
The Türksat 5B pro ...
Eurostar Neo
An improved model based on the E3000 called the
Eurostar Neo
Eurostar is a satellite bus made by Airbus Defence and Space (formerly Astrium, and before 1994, British Aerospace, and Matra Marconi Space (the former Marconi Space having been merged with Matra's former "Matra Espace" division) which has been use ...
was announced in 2017, offering electric, hybrid, or chemical propulsion, in addition to a scalable power range of 7 kW to 25 kW.
References
External links
Airbus's page about the satellite
Satellite buses
{{Spacecraft-stub