From its orbital position of 19.2° East, Astra 1M will provide a full range of television broadcasting services, including HDTV and other advanced audiovisual as well as broadband services with a pan-European coverage. Astrium is prime contractor, responsible for the design and build of the spacecraft and the supply of both the payload and the Eurostar E3000 platform.
Astra 1M is carrying 36 transponders covering the Ku FSS and BSS frequency bands. It had a launch mass of 5,300 kg, its solar array span is 35 metres once deployed in orbit, and spacecraft power at end of its planned 15-year service life will be 10 kW.
Astra 1M was launched in November 2008 on board a Proton Breeze M rocket from Baikonur in Kazakhstan.
