Eutelsat_113_West_A

Eutelsat 113 West A

Eutelsat 113 West A

French communications satellite

Eutelsat 113 West A, formerly Satmex-6, is a geostationary communications satellite which is operated by Eutelsat. Originally built for Mexico's Satmex, it was launched in 2006. The satellite was acquired by Eutelsat in its 2014 merger with Satmex, and renamed Eutelsat 113 West A in May.[2] It is used to provide communications services to the Americas, Hawaii and the Caribbean.[3]

Quick Facts Names, Mission type ...

Constructed by Space Systems/Loral, Satmex 6 is based on the LS-1300X satellite bus. It is equipped with 36 G/H band (IEEE C band) and 24 J band (IEEE Ku-band) transponders, and at launch it had a mass of 5,456 kilograms (12,028 lb), with an expected operational lifespan of 15 years.[2][4]

Arianespace was contracted to launch Satmex 6, using an Ariane 5ECA carrier rocket flying from ELA-3 at the Guiana Space Centre. The launch occurred at 21:09 GMT on 27 May 2006, and placed Satmex 6, along with the Thaicom 5 satellite, into a geosynchronous transfer orbit.[5] At the time, this was the heaviest dual-satellite payload ever launched to geostationary transfer orbit.[6]

Following launch, the satellite raised its own orbit by means of an onboard apogee motor. At 18:33 GMT on 31 May, it was injected into geostationary orbit. It was subsequently tested, and positioned at a longitude of 113° West for operational service.[7]

Eutelsat 113 West A operated successfully for over 17 years. On 31 January 2024, the satellite suffered an anomaly that led Eutelsat to announce the termination of services from the spacecraft two days later.[8]

See also

References

  1. [1]
    "SATMEX 6 Satellite details 2006-020A NORAD 29162". N2YO. 27 May 2014. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
  2. [2]
    Krebs, Gunter. "SATMEX 6 → Eutelsat 113 West A". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
  3. [3]
    "Eutelsat Completes Acquisition of Satmex for $831M". Via Satellite. 2 January 2014. Retrieved 2022-12-03.
  4. [4]
    "UCS Satellite Database". Union of Concerned Scientists. 2009-07-01. Retrieved 2009-08-08.
  5. [5]
    McDowell, Jonathan. "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 2009-08-08.
  6. [6]
    Launch Webcast. Arianespace. 2006-05-27.
  7. [7]
    McDowell, Jonathan. "Index". Geostationary Orbit Catalog. Jonathan's Space Page. Archived from the original on 2010-04-06. Retrieved 2009-08-08.
  8. [8]
    Rainbow, Jason (2 February 2024). "Eutelsat stops services on aging satellite following anomaly". SpaceNews. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
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