- The HOT BIRDTM
10 satellite is the third in a series of large broadcast satellites for Eutelsat
- The two Spirale
satellites will enable Astrium to be the first in Europe to demonstrate a
space-based, ballistic missile early warning system
- Astrium is
prime contractor for the Ariane 5 rocket and three of the four satellites
The HOT BIRD™ 10 satellite is
the third in a series of large, identical satellites built for Eutelsat benefiting from a total redundancy of 102 repeaters
from the operator’s prime position at 13°E. The 102 repeaters
operated at this position broadcast
over 1100 TV channels to 120 million households.
HOT BIRD™ 8, 9 and 10 each have 64 Ku-band transponders –
three times the capacity of the previous generation of HOT BIRD™ satellites,
which were launched ten years ago. HOT
BIRD™ 8, which was launched in August 2006, is still the most powerful European
satellite that is operational in orbit. HOT
BIRD™ 9, which was placed into orbit by the last Ariane 5 launch on 20 December
2008, has been successfully deployed and is currently completing its in-orbit
tests.
HOT BIRD™ 10 is the 41st Eurostar satellite
and the 16th satellite based on the Eurostar E3000 platform - which was
first orbited successfully in 2004.
SPIRALE was manufactured for the DGA and is the French acronym for
"Preparatory System for IR Early Warning". The programme covers the supply and operation
of a complete system able to collect and analyse infrared imagery against a
land background for the validation of an early
warning system. After processing and analyzing the collected data over an 18-month
period, Astrium will be capable of establishing the characteristics and
conditions for detecting ballistic missiles during their boost phase, just
after launch. The ground control and
operating segments are located in Toulouse, France, and will be operated by Astrium
on behalf of the DGA during the operational phase.
About Astrium
Astrium, a wholly owned subsidiary of EADS, is dedicated to providing civil and
defence space systems and services. In 2007, Astrium had
a turnover of €3.5 billion and 12,000 employees in France, Germany, the United
Kingdom, Spain and the Netherlands. Its three main areas of activity are: Astrium Space Transportation
for launchers and orbital infrastructure, Astrium Satellites
for spacecraft and ground systems, and its wholly owned subsidiary Astrium
Services for the development and delivery of satellite
services.
EADS
is a global leader in aerospace, defence and related services. In 2007, EADS
generated revenues of €39.1 billion and employed a workforce of more than 116,000.
Press Contacts:
Jeremy Close (Astrium GB) Tel.: +44 (0)1 438 77 3872
Matthieu Duvelleroy (Astrium FR) Tel.:
+33 (0) 1 77 75 80 32
Mathias Pikelj (Astrium GER) Tel.:
+49 (0) 7545 8 9123
Francisco Lechón (Astrium SPA) Tel.:
+34 91 586 37 41
www.astrium.eads.net
