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Eutelsat 115 West B (previously Satmex 7) is a
The launch occurred on March 2, 2015, at 03:50 UTC and the satellite has been deployed in the planned supersynchronous transfer orbit.
The launch is also notable for being the first flight of Boeing's stacked satellite configuration for the Boeing 702SP,
a configuration Boeing designed specifically to take advantage of the SpaceX
Boeing press release, 10 September 2015, accessed 2015-10-31. A press release on 15 October 2015 stated that Eutelsat 115 West B has started providing service.EUTELSAT 115 West B Goes Live: Eutelsat Americas achieves full continental footprint with coverage from Alaska to Patagonia
Eutelsat press release, 15 October 2015, accessed 2016-04-10.
ABS/Eutelsat-1 Launch
Fact Sheet, SpaceX, 26 February 2015. (pdf) {{Orbital launches in 2015 Communications satellites in geostationary orbit SpaceX commercial payloads Satellites using the BSS-702 bus Spacecraft launched in 2015 Eutelsat satellites Satellites of Mexico
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 ...
that is operated by Eutelsat, providing video, data, government, and mobile services for the Americas. The satellite was designed and manufactured by Boeing Space Systems, and is a Boeing 702SP model communication satellite. It is located at 115 degrees west longitude
Longitude (, ) is a geographic coordinate that specifies the east– west position of a point on the surface of the Earth, or another celestial body. It is an angular measurement, usually expressed in degrees and denoted by the Greek lette ...
. It was launched on board a SpaceX Falcon 9
Falcon 9 is a partially reusable medium lift launch vehicle that can carry cargo and crew into Earth orbit, produced by American aerospace company SpaceX.
The rocket has two stages. The first (booster) stage carries the second stage and pay ...
rocket on 2 March 2015 (UTC time).
The satellite is solely propelled by electrically powered spacecraft propulsion, with the onboard thrusters used for both geostationary orbit insertion and station keeping.
The satellite had a launch mass of . It is notable for being the first commercial communications satellite in orbit to use electric propulsion
Spacecraft electric propulsion (or just electric propulsion) is a type of spacecraft propulsion technique that uses electrostatic or electromagnetic fields to accelerate mass to high speed and thus generate thrust to modify the velocity of a sp ...
, providing a significant weight savings. Eutelsat 115 West B was launched with another Boeing 702SP satellite, ABS-3A
ABS-3A is a communications satellite operated by ABS (formerly known as Asia Broadcast Satellite), providing coverage in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. It is positioned in geostationary orbit at 3° West, and offers C and Ku- ...
, on the same rocket.
Eutelsat 115 West B is planned to be the first in a family of four satellites in the Eutelsat constellation. The satellite was scheduled for entry into service in November 2015, but entered service a month earlier than expected, in October 2015.
Launch
The launch occurred on March 2, 2015, at 03:50 UTC and the satellite has been deployed in the planned supersynchronous transfer orbit.
The launch is also notable for being the first flight of Boeing's stacked satellite configuration for the Boeing 702SP,
a configuration Boeing designed specifically to take advantage of the SpaceX Falcon 9 v1.1
Falcon 9 v1.1 was the second version of SpaceX's Falcon 9 orbital launch vehicle. The rocket was developed in 2011–2013, made its maiden launch in September 2013, and its final flight in January 2016. The Falcon 9 rocket was fully designed ...
capabilities.
On-orbit operations
The sister-satellite 702SP from the same launch—ABS-3A
ABS-3A is a communications satellite operated by ABS (formerly known as Asia Broadcast Satellite), providing coverage in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. It is positioned in geostationary orbit at 3° West, and offers C and Ku- ...
—became fully operational as a geosynchronous
A geosynchronous orbit (sometimes abbreviated GSO) is an Earth-centered orbit with an orbital period that matches Earth's rotation on its axis, 23 hours, 56 minutes, and 4 seconds (one sidereal day). The synchronization of rotation and orbital ...
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 ...
by 10 September 2015 after a handover from Boeing to ABS for on-orbit operations on 31 August 2015, approximately one month earlier than planned.Boeing: World’s First All-Electric Propulsion Satellite Begins OperationsBoeing press release, 10 September 2015, accessed 2015-10-31. A press release on 15 October 2015 stated that Eutelsat 115 West B has started providing service.EUTELSAT 115 West B Goes Live: Eutelsat Americas achieves full continental footprint with coverage from Alaska to Patagonia
Eutelsat press release, 15 October 2015, accessed 2016-04-10.
See also
*2015 in spaceflight
In 2015, the maiden spaceflights of the Chinese Long March 6 and Long March 11 launch vehicles took place.
A total of 87 orbital launches were attempted in 2015, of which 82 were successful, one was partially successful and four were failur ...
* List of Falcon 9 launches
References
External links
ABS/Eutelsat-1 Launch
Fact Sheet, SpaceX, 26 February 2015. (pdf) {{Orbital launches in 2015 Communications satellites in geostationary orbit SpaceX commercial payloads Satellites using the BSS-702 bus Spacecraft launched in 2015 Eutelsat satellites Satellites of Mexico