Eutelsat 33B, formerly known as Eutelsat 3F1, Eutelsat W1, Eutelsat W5, Eutelsat 70A and Eutelsat 25C, is a

telecommunications Telecommunication is the transmission of information by various types of technologies over wire, radio, optical, or other electromagnetic systems. It has its origin in the desire of humans for communication over a distance greater than that fe ...

satellite owned by Eutelsat Consortium. Eutelsat W5 provides coverage to Europe,

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...

, and Asia. The satellite can use either six steerable beams or two fixed beams to provide the coverage.

Satellite description

Eutelsat W1 was built by

Aérospatiale Aérospatiale (), sometimes styled Aerospatiale, was a French state-owned aerospace manufacturer that built both civilian and military aircraft, rockets and satellites. It was originally known as Société nationale industrielle aérospatiale ( ...

and is a Spacebus-3000B2 satellite. The satellite measures and has a span of on orbit. Eutelsat W1 features three axis stabilization to help keep it stable and pointed at the

Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surfa ...

at all times. It features twenty-four K_u band

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 ...

. It was used to provide video distribution and contribution links, occasional-use video as well as Internet backbone connections.

Eutelsat W5

The original Eutelsat W1 satellite was damaged during construction by a malfuncioning fire extinguishing system. During testing, when the factory where it was being built caught fire. The cause of the fire was determined to be a carbon fiber wall which got too hot when the antennas were pointed at it and turned up on full power. The satellite was covered in water causing extensive damage. It was declared a total loss, but was later reconstructed and completed as Eutelsat W5.

Eutelsat 70A

Eutelsat 70A was the first satellite to be launched by a

Delta IV Delta IV is a group of five expendable launch systems in the Delta (rocket family), Delta rocket family introduced in the early 2000s. Originally designed by Boeing's Defense, Space and Security division for the National Security Space Launch, ...

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 pad, launch pads, supported by a missile launch contro ...

. The launch was originally scheduled for January 2001, but was delayed several times due to developmental problems with the Delta IV. On 27 March 2007, Eutelsat 70A began drifting west at a rate of 0.004° per day. It is not known why this began to happen. On 16 June 2008, a power generation anomaly occurred and four transponders were permanently lost. It was later revealed that one of the two solar panels was lost because the array's drive motor failed.

Eutelsat 25C

In 2013, it was replaced by

Eutelsat 70B Eutelsat 70B is a commercial communications satellite run by Eutelsat. It was launched on 3 December 2012 and is designed to provide telecommunication services for the Middle East, Central Asia, South East Asia and parts of Africa. It will repla ...

at 70° East and was then moved to 25° East where it was renamed to Eutelsat 25C.

Eutelsat 33 B

In October 2015, Eutelsat 33B was deactivated because of the loss of its second solar panel.

References

{{Orbital launches in 2002 Communications satellites in geostationary orbit Spacecraft launched in 2002 Spacecraft launched by Delta IV rockets Satellites using the Spacebus bus Eutelsat satellites