Société Européenne des Satellites-Astra
Type	Privately-owned subsidiary
Founded	1985
Headquarters	Betzdorf, Luxembourg
Industry	Telecommunications
Products	Satellite Services
Revenue	€ ? billion (2006)
Operating income	€ ? billion (2006)
Net income	€ ? billion (2006)
Employees	? (2006)
Parent	SES
Website	SES Astra

SES Astra SA, is a corporate subsidiary of SES, based in Betzdorf, in eastern Luxembourg, that owns and operates the Astra series of geostationary satellites, which transmit approximately 1100 analogue and digital television and radio channels via 176 transponders to 91 million households across Europe. Year 1985 (MCMLXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link displays 1985 Gregorian calendar). ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Luxembourg. ... District Grevenmacher Canton Grevenmacher Area 26. ... Telecommunication involves the transmission of signals over a distance for the purpose of communication. ... Look up revenue in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... “EUR” redirects here. ... One thousand million (1,000,000,000) is the natural number following 999,999,999 and preceding 1,000,000,001. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays full 2006 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT), also known as operating income and operating profit, is a term used to describe a companys earnings. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... “EUR” redirects here. ... One thousand million (1,000,000,000) is the natural number following 999,999,999 and preceding 1,000,000,001. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays full 2006 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Net income is equal to the income that a firm has after subtracting costs and expenses from the total revenue. ... Image File history File links Red_Arrow_Down. ... “EUR” redirects here. ... One thousand million (1,000,000,000) is the natural number following 999,999,999 and preceding 1,000,000,001. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays full 2006 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... For the album by the Kaiser Chiefs see Employment (album) Employment is a contract between two parties, one being the employer and the other being the employee. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays full 2006 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... A holding company is a company that owns part, all, or a majority of other companies outstanding stock. ... SES S.A. (LuxSE: SESG, Euronext: SESG) is one of the worlds largest satellite services companies. ... A website (alternatively, Web site or web site) is a collection of Web pages, images, videos and other digital assets that is hosted on one or several Web server(s), usually accessible via the Internet, cell phone or a LAN. A Web page is a document, typically written in HTML... “Corporate” redirects here. ... In business, a subsidiary is a company controlled by another company or corporation. ... SES S.A. (LuxSE: SESG, Euronext: SESG) is one of the worlds largest satellite services companies. ... District Grevenmacher Canton Grevenmacher Area 26. ... Geostationary orbit A geostationary orbit (GEO) is a geosynchronous orbit directly above the Earths equator (0° latitude), with orbital eccentricity of zero. ... In telecommunications, transmission is the act of transmitting electrical messages (and the associated phenomena of radiant energy that passes through media). ... Analog television (or analogue television) encodes television and transports the picture and sound information as an analog signal, that is, by varying the amplitude and/or frequencies of the broadcast signal. ... A digital system is one that uses discrete values (often electrical voltages), especially those representable as binary numbers, or non-numeric symbols such as letters or icons, for input, processing, transmission, storage, or display, rather than a continuous spectrum of values (ie, as in an analog system). ... Channel, in communications (sometimes called communications channel), refers to the medium used to convey information from a sender (or transmitter) to a receiver. ... An Ontario Highway 407 toll transponder In telecommunication, the term transponder (short-for Transmitter-responder and sometimes abbreviated to XPDR, XPNDR or TPDR) has the following meanings: An automatic device that receives, amplifies, and retransmits a signal on a different frequency (see also broadcast translator). ... The household is the basic unit of analysis in many microeconomic and government models. ... World map showing the location of Europe. ...

Formed in 1985 as Société Européenne des Satellites-Astra (SES), it was Europe's first private satellite operator. Its slogan is currently "Your Satellite Connection to the World". Year 1985 (MCMLXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link displays 1985 Gregorian calendar). ... Look up slogan in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

The first customer of SES Astra was Sky Television who bought 4 transponders for their service in 1989. UK & Ireland aimed channels ceased at 19.2 East in September 2001 with the closure of Sky's analogue service, though their digital service has been the main occupier of Astra's secondary position at 28.2 East since its launch in 1998. link titlelink titleThe name Sky Television may refer to: British Sky Broadcasting (BSkyB) in the United Kingdom SKY Network Television in New Zealand This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...

Satellite details

SES Astra operates twelve satellites from three orbital locations, seven at 19.2°E, three at 28.2°E and two at 23.5°E. The company also has two satellites on order to replace early Astra 1 models. Astra's principle of "co-location" (several satellites in the same orbital location) increases flexibility and redundancy.

Notes Astra 1A was the first satellite launched and operated by Société Européenne des Satellites (SES), now SES Astra. ... Lockheed Martin Space Systems is a major unit of Lockheed Martin. ... December 11 is the 345th day of the year (346th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar). ... Ariane 42P rocket with the TOPEX/Poseidon satellite (Kourou, August 10, 1992) (NASA) Ariane 4 was an expendable launch system, designed by the European Space Agency and manufactured and marketed by its subsidiary Arianespace. ... A graveyard orbit is an orbit where spacecraft are intentionally placed at the end of their operational life. ... Astra 1B was the second satellite launched and operated by Société Européenne des Satellites (SES), now SES Astra. ... Lockheed Martin Space Systems is a major unit of Lockheed Martin. ... is the 61st day of the year (62nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the 1991 Gregorian calendar). ... Ariane 42P rocket with the TOPEX/Poseidon satellite (Kourou, August 10, 1992) (NASA) Ariane 4 was an expendable launch system, designed by the European Space Agency and manufactured and marketed by its subsidiary Arianespace. ... SES Americom is a major commercial satellite operator based in the United States. ... Satcom K1 being placed into orbit by the Space Shuttle Columbia in 1986. ... Astra 1C was the third satellite launched by the Société Européenne des Satellites (SES), now SES Astra. ... Boeing Satellite Systems is a major business unit of Boeing Integrated Defense Systems. ... is the 132nd day of the year (133rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar). ... Ariane 42P rocket with the TOPEX/Poseidon satellite (Kourou, August 10, 1992) (NASA) Ariane 4 was an expendable launch system, designed by the European Space Agency and manufactured and marketed by its subsidiary Arianespace. ... Astra 1D was the fourth, and under original plans, last Société Européenne des Satellites (SES), now SES Astra satellite. ... Boeing Satellite Systems is a major business unit of Boeing Integrated Defense Systems. ... is the 305th day of the year (306th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display full 1994 Gregorian calendar). ... Ariane 42P rocket with the TOPEX/Poseidon satellite (Kourou, August 10, 1992) (NASA) Ariane 4 was an expendable launch system, designed by the European Space Agency and manufactured and marketed by its subsidiary Arianespace. ... Boeing Satellite Systems is a major business unit of Boeing Integrated Defense Systems. ... is the 292nd day of the year (293rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full 1995 Gregorian calendar). ... Ariane 42P rocket with the TOPEX/Poseidon satellite (Kourou, August 10, 1992) (NASA) Ariane 4 was an expendable launch system, designed by the European Space Agency and manufactured and marketed by its subsidiary Arianespace. ... Boeing Satellite Systems is a major business unit of Boeing Integrated Defense Systems. ... April 8 is the 98th day of the year (99th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar). ... The Proton (Прото́н) rocket (formal designation: UR-500, also known as D-1/ D-1e or SL-12/SL-13) is a Russian unmanned space vehicle design, first launched in 1965. ... Boeing Satellite Systems is a major business unit of Boeing Integrated Defense Systems. ... is the 336th day of the year (337th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1997 Gregorian calendar). ... The Proton (Прото́н) rocket (formal designation: UR-500, also known as D-1/ D-1e or SL-12/SL-13) is a Russian unmanned space vehicle design, first launched in 1965. ... Boeing Satellite Systems is a major business unit of Boeing Integrated Defense Systems. ... is the 167th day of the year (168th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the year. ... The Proton (Прото́н) rocket (formal designation: UR-500, also known as D-1/ D-1e or SL-12/SL-13) is a Russian unmanned space vehicle design, first launched in 1965. ... Astra 1K was a communications satellite manufactured by Alcatel Space for SES Astra. ... Alcatel SA (NYSE: ALA) is a global company, headquartered in France that provides hardware, software and services to telecommunications service providers and enterprises. ... Spacebus is a satellite series built by Aerospatiale. ... is the 330th day of the year (331st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also see: 2002 (number). ... The Proton (Прото́н) rocket (formal designation: UR-500, also known as D-1/ D-1e or SL-12/SL-13) is a Russian unmanned space vehicle design, first launched in 1965. ... Astra 1KR is a geostationary satellite owned by SES Astra. ... Lockheed/BAE/Northrop F-35 Lockheed Trident missile C-130 Hercules; in production since the 1950s, now as the C-130J Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) is an aerospace manufacturer formed in 1995 by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta. ... is the 110th day of the year (111th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays full 2006 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Launch of the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, 7:43:00 a. ... Lockheed/BAE/Northrop F-35 Lockheed Trident missile C-130 Hercules; in production since the 1950s, now as the C-130J Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) is an aerospace manufacturer formed in 1995 by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta. ... is the 124th day of the year (125th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... Ariane 5 mock-up Ariane 5 is a European expendable launch system designed to deliver satellites into geostationary transfer orbit and to send payloads to Low Earth orbit. ... The Ku band (kay-yoo kurz-under band) is a portion of the electromagnetic spectrum in the microwave range of frequencies ranging from 11 to 18 GHz. ... The Ka band (kurz-above band) is a portion of the K band of the microwave band of the electromagnetic spectrum. ... EADS Astrium, one of the three business units of EADS Space, this company being a subsidiary of EADS, is an European space manufacturer involved in the manufacture of spacecraft used for science, Earth observation and telecommunication, as well as the equipment and subsystems used therein and related ground systems. ... Astra 2A is a communications satellite owned by SES Astra. ... Boeing Satellite Systems is a major business unit of Boeing Integrated Defense Systems. ... is the 242nd day of the year (243rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ... The Proton (Прото́н) rocket (formal designation: UR-500, also known as D-1/ D-1e or SL-12/SL-13) is a Russian unmanned space vehicle design, first launched in 1965. ... EADS Astrium, one of the three business units of EADS Space, this company being a subsidiary of EADS, is an European space manufacturer involved in the manufacture of spacecraft used for science, Earth observation and telecommunication, as well as the equipment and subsystems used therein and related ground systems. ... is the 257th day of the year (258th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full 2000 Gregorian calendar). ... Ariane 5 mock-up Ariane 5 is a European expendable launch system designed to deliver satellites into geostationary transfer orbit and to send payloads to Low Earth orbit. ... Boeing Satellite Systems is a major business unit of Boeing Integrated Defense Systems. ... is the 167th day of the year (168th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 2001 Gregorian calendar). ... The Proton (Прото́н) rocket (formal designation: UR-500, also known as D-1/ D-1e or SL-12/SL-13) is a Russian unmanned space vehicle design, first launched in 1965. ... Astra 2D is one of a group of satellites operated by SES Astra, located at 28. ... Boeing Satellite Systems is a major business unit of Boeing Integrated Defense Systems. ... is the 353rd day of the year (354th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full 2000 Gregorian calendar). ... Ariane 5 mock-up Ariane 5 is a European expendable launch system designed to deliver satellites into geostationary transfer orbit and to send payloads to Low Earth orbit. ... Boeing Satellite Systems is a major business unit of Boeing Integrated Defense Systems. ... is the 88th day of the year (89th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also see: 2002 (number). ... Ariane 42P rocket with the TOPEX/Poseidon satellite (Kourou, August 10, 1992) (NASA) Ariane 4 was an expendable launch system, designed by the European Space Agency and manufactured and marketed by its subsidiary Arianespace. ... EADS Astrium, one of the three business units of EADS Space, this company being a subsidiary of EADS, is an European space manufacturer involved in the manufacture of spacecraft used for science, Earth observation and telecommunication, as well as the equipment and subsystems used therein and related ground systems. ... Sirius 2 is a Swedish communications satellite owned by SES Sirius co-located at the position 4. ... The Ku band (kay-yoo kurz-under band) is a portion of the electromagnetic spectrum in the microwave range of frequencies ranging from 11 to 18 GHz. ... The Ka band (kurz-above band) is a portion of the K band of the microwave band of the electromagnetic spectrum. ... Alcatel SA (NYSE: ALA) is a global company, headquartered in France that provides hardware, software and services to telecommunications service providers and enterprises. ... Spacebus is a satellite series built by Aerospatiale. ... is the 34th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Proton (Прото́н) rocket (formal designation: UR-500, also known as D-1/ D-1e or SL-12/SL-13) is a Russian unmanned space vehicle design, first launched in 1965. ... SES Americom is a major commercial satellite operator based in the United States. ...

1. 19.2°E is the most common orbital position for direct-to-home satellite TV and radio transmission in Germany, Western and Central Europe.
2. BSkyB broadcast their Sky Digital direct-to-home television service to the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland from the 28.2°E satellite constellation. Eutelsat's Eurobird satellite also operates close to this position.

British Sky Broadcasting (BSkyB - formerly two companies, Sky Television and British Satellite Broadcasting, which merged) is a company that operates the most popular subscription television service in the Ireland. ... Sky Digital is the brand name for British Sky Broadcastings digital satellite television service, transmitted from SES Astra satellites located at 28. ... Eutelsat S.A. is a French-based satellite provider. ...

Satellite manufacturer & launch

SES Astra operates satellites designed by Boeing Satellite Systems or BSS (formerly Hughes Space and Communications), EADS Astrium and Alcatel Space. Boeing Satellite Systems is a major business unit of Boeing Integrated Defense Systems. ... EADS Astrium, one of the three business units of EADS Space, this company being a subsidiary of EADS, is an European space manufacturer involved in the manufacture of spacecraft used for science, Earth observation and telecommunication, as well as the equipment and subsystems used therein and related ground systems. ... Alcatel SA is a global company, headquartered in France that provides hardware, software and services to telecommunications service providers and enterprises. ...

Astra satellites within a family are not identical, for example of the Astra 2 satellites; 2A and 2C are BSS 601HPs, 2B is an Astrium Eurostar-2000 and 2D is a BSS 376.

The satellites are launched by Arianespace rockets from Kourou, French Guiana or International Launch Services Proton rockets from Baikonur, Kazakhstan. The satellites are launched into an elliptical "temporary transfer orbit" from where they use onboard propulsion to reach their final circular geostationary orbits, at nearly 36,000 km altitude. Proton rockets fitted with a fourth stage propulsion unit are capable of launching the satellites several thousand kilometres higher (at the closest point of the elliptical orbit) than Ariane rockets. As a result most satellites launched in this way have to use less fuel to reach their geostationary orbit, increasing their flexibility. Founded in 1980, Arianespace SA undertakes the production, operation and marketing of the Ariane 4 and Ariane 5 rocket launchers as part of the Ariane programme. ... The Ariane 4 Ariane is a series of a European civilian expendable launch vehicles for space launch use. ... Kourou is a town and commune in French Guiana. ... International Launch Services (or ILS)is a partnership between American defense contractor Lockheed Martin, and the Russian firm, Khrunichev, and RSC Energia for the purpose of co-marketing their respective rocket launch services. ... The Proton (Прото́н) rocket (formal designation: UR-500, also known as D-1/ D-1e or SL-12/SL-13) is a Russian unmanned space vehicle design, first launched in 1965. ... Map showing the location of Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan The Baikonur Cosmodrome (Kazakh: Байқоңыр ғарыш айлағы, Bayqoñır ğarış aylağı; Russian: Космодром Байконур, Kosmodrom Baykonur), also called Tyuratam, is the worlds oldest and largest operational space launch facility. ... Geostationary orbit A geostationary orbit (GEO) is a geosynchronous orbit directly above the Earths equator (0° latitude), with orbital eccentricity of zero. ...

Failures

Astra 1K, the largest commercial communications satellite ever built at the time, was ordered by SES-Astra in 1997. It was launched by Proton rocket on November 26, 2002. The rocket lifted off as planned and reached its "parking orbit" at which point the final stage of the rocket was to initiate a second burn to transfer the satellite to its geostationary orbit. This did not occur and the satellite was released into the parking orbit, making it unusable. The only way to recover the satellite would have been the use of a Space Shuttle, however this was rejected. On December 10, 2002 SES Astra instructed Alcatel Space (the manufacturer) and the French Space Agency CNES to deorbit the satellite, it broke up on re-entry over the Pacific Ocean. Astra 1K was a communications satellite manufactured by Alcatel Space for SES Astra. ... is the 330th day of the year (331st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also see: 2002 (number). ... NASAs Space Shuttle, officially called Space Transportation System (STS), is the United States governments current manned launch vehicle. ... December 10 is the 344th day (345th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, 21 days before the next year. ... Also see: 2002 (number). ... The Centre National dÉtudes Spatiales is the French government space agency (administratively, a public establishment of industrial and commercial character). Its headquarters are located in central Paris. ...

See also

• SES S.A.
• SES Americom
• SES SIRIUS
• List of broadcast satellites
• Astra Digital Radio

SES S.A. (LuxSE: SESG, Euronext: SESG) is one of the worlds largest satellite services companies. ... SES Americom is a major commercial satellite operator based in the United States. ... SES SIRIUS, formerly called Nordic Satellite AB (NSAB) is the owner and operator of the two SIRIUS satellites, which provide the Nordic countries and the Baltic states, with TV, radio, data and communications solutions. ... This is the list of broadcast satellites — communications satellites used primarily for radio and television networks, backhauls, and DBSs. ... Astra Digital Radio (ADR) is a system used by SES Astra for digital radio transmissions on their Astra 1 satellites, using the audio subcarrier frequencies of analogue television channels. ...

External links

• SES Astra - Official site
• Astra transponder footprints (To determine size requirements of a satellite dish - minimum diameter from 50 to 120 cm).
• ESOA website.
• Lyngsat frequency/channel list.
• SatcoDX frequency/channel list.
• Location: 0°0′N, 23°30′E
• Astra analogue satellite Promo Video clips - Orbitalzone.Com. Retrieved on 2007-05-29.