Brasilsat B1 is a Brazilian communications satellite launched on August 10, 1994, by an Ariane

rocket A rocket (from it, rocchetto, , bobbin/spool) is a vehicle that uses jet propulsion to accelerate without using the surrounding air. A rocket engine produces thrust by reaction to exhaust expelled at high speed. Rocket engines work entir ...

model 44LP at

Guiana Space Centre 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 ...

which is located in

Kourou Kourou () is a commune in French Guiana, an overseas region and department of France in South America. Kourou is famous for being the location of the Guiana Space Centre, the main spaceport of France and the European Space Agency (ESA). It i ...

French Guiana French Guiana ( or ; french: link=no, Guyane ; gcr, label= French Guianese Creole, Lagwiyann ) is an overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France on the northern Atlantic coast of South America in the Guianas ...

History

It was constructed by the United States and

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

and is classified as a second generation satellite. It is larger and more powerful than the previous generation of satellites. The

Boeing Company The Boeing Company () is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, telecommunications equipment, and missiles worldwide. The company also provides leasing and product ...

(which chose to expand its presence in another aerospace field of satellite communications by purchasing

Hughes Electronics Corporation Hughes may refer to: People * Hughes (surname) * Hughes (given name) Places Antarctica * Hughes Range (Antarctica), Ross Dependency * Mount Hughes, Oates Land * Hughes Basin, Oates Land * Hughes Bay, Graham Land * Hughes Bluff, Victoria L ...

, the builder of Brasilsat B1 and B2) contracted the acquisition of three satellites from Hughes. As part of the contract,

Hughes Hughes may refer to: People * Hughes (surname) * Hughes (given name) Places Antarctica * Hughes Range (Antarctica), Ross Dependency * Mount Hughes, Oates Land * Hughes Basin, Oates Land * Hughes Bay, Graham Land * Hughes Bluff, Victoria La ...

would divide the work with Promon Engenharia SA of

São Paulo São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for ' Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the GaW ...

. Brasilsat B1 and B2 were tested by the

Institute of Space Research An institute is an organisational body created for a certain purpose. They are often research organisations (research institutes) created to do research on specific topics, or can also be a professional body. In some countries, institutes can ...

- INPE of

São José dos Campos São José dos Campos (, meaning Saint Joseph of the Fields) is a major city and the seat of the Municipalities of Brazil, municipality of the same name in the state of São Paulo (state), São Paulo, Brazil. One of the leading industrial and res ...

, Brasilsat B3 and B4 were tested in the Hughes laboratories. The contract also included renovation of sensor equipment and

telemetry Telemetry is the in situ collection of measurements or other data at remote points and their automatic transmission to receiving equipment (telecommunication) for monitoring. The word is derived from the Greek roots ''tele'', "remote", an ...

, provided by

Guaratiba Center for Satellite Signaling Guaratiba is a large neighborhood located in the West Zone of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It has one of the city's smallest population densities. The ''bairro'' is in the eastern part of Sepetiba Bay. It contains the Guaratiba Biological Reserve ...

, located in

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...

, as well as automation and installation of security equipment in the

Tanguá Control Station Tanguá () is a municipality located in the Brazilian state of Rio de Janeiro. It covers an area of 145,5 km². Its population is relatively stable, with 29.481 in 2005 and 30.732 in 2010, most of them urban. This equates to a population den ...

Current status

In March 2007, Brasilsat B1 was moved from its former orbital position at 70.0°W to 68.0°W and replaced by Brasilsat B4. On June 2, 2008 Brasilsat B4 was moved from its new position to 84.0°W and replaced at 70.0°W by Star One C2. Brasilsat B3 is currently at 75.0°W. Of the four Brasilsat satellites, only B3 is still transmitting signals as of July 2021. B4 was retired in June 2021.

Main characteristics

* Original orbital position: 70.0° W * Current orbital position: 68.0°W (Inactive) * Coverage: Brazil * Transponders: 28 C-band * Downlink frequencies: 5850–6425 MHz * Uplink frequency: 3625 – 4200 MHz * Launch date: August 10, 1994 * Model: Hughes HS 376 W * Launch location/vehicle:

Arianespace Arianespace SA is a French company founded in 1980 as the world's first commercial launch service provider. It undertakes the operation and marketing of the Ariane programme. The company offers a number of different launch vehicles: the heavy ...

/ Ariane 44 LP * Planned life of satellite: 12 years

References

External links

Satellite Brasilsat 1
Communications satellites in geostationary orbit Spacecraft launched in 1994 Satellites using the HS-376 bus Star One satellites {{Brazil-spacecraft-stub