Nilesat 101

Summary

Nilesat 101 is an Egyptian owned geosynchronous communications satellite that was decommissioned in February 2013.

Nilesat 101
Mission typeCommunications
OperatorNilesat
COSPAR ID1998-024A Edit this at Wikidata
SATCAT no.25311
Mission duration18 years
Spacecraft properties
BusEurostar-2000
ManufacturerMatra Marconi
Launch mass1,666 kilograms (3,673 lb)[1]
Powerwatts
Start of mission
Launch date28 April 1998, 22:53 (1998-04-28UTC22:53Z) UTC
RocketAriane 44P
Launch siteKourou ELA-2
ContractorArianespace
End of mission
DisposalDecommissioned
DeactivatedFebruary 2013 (2013-03)
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric
RegimeGeostationary
Longitude7° West
Perigee altitude36,512 kilometres (22,688 mi)
Apogee altitude36,725 kilometres (22,820 mi)
Inclination0.73 degrees
Period24.64 hours
Epoch29 October 2013, 10:24:24 UTC[2]
Transponders
Band12 Ku-band
 

Launch edit

Nilesat 101 was launched by an Ariane 4 rocket from Kourou, French Guiana on 28 April 1998 at 22:53:00 UTC by Arianespace.[1] The satellite is powered by solar arrays, and the power is stored aboard batteries.[3]

Mission edit

The satellite was manufactured by the European company Matra Marconi Space (Astrium), and started official broadcasting on 1 June 1998 with a mission life of 12 years. At launch the spacecraft had a gross mass of 1,666 kg.[1]

Orbit edit

It was parked at the geostationary orbital position of 7° West together with its sister Satellite Nilesat 102 and carries 12 Ku band 100 W high power wide beam transponders of 33 MHz bandwidth to provide digital communications and terrestrial Direct to Home ((DTH)) TV, radio broadcasting, multimedia and data services for countries in North Africa, South Europe and the Middle East. The two satellites carry approximately 150 TV channels, with 100 of those originally coming from Nilesat 101, covering all the Middle East countries; north from Southern Europe to Central Africa, south, and east from Iran to the Atlantic Ocean, west. Nilesat 101 provided service to more than five million homes.[3]

Operations edit

Nilesat 101 was operated by The Egyptian satellite Co. Nilesat that was established in 1996 with the purpose of operating Egyptian satellites and their associated mission control center and ground stations. The two control centers are located in Cairo and Alexandria.[4]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b c "Nilesat". Medea. Archived from the original on 10 July 2015. Retrieved 3 November 2016.
  2. ^ "NILESAT Satellite details 1998-024A NORAD 25311". N2YO. 29 October 2013. Archived from the original on 6 August 2013. Retrieved 29 October 2013.
  3. ^ a b "Nilesat 101,102". Gunter's Space Page. Archived from the original on 9 November 2016. Retrieved 6 November 2016.
  4. ^ "Message from the Board - Message of the Board of Directors". Nilesat. Archived from the original on 14 May 2011. Retrieved 6 November 2016.

External links edit

  • Nilesat homepage
  • European Space Agency homepage
  • Nilesat 101 Ku-band Wide Beam footprint(s) at SatBeams

0°N 7°W / 0°N 7°W / 0; -7