HOT BIRD™ 7A gearing up for service

Eutelsat’s HOT BIRD™ 7A broadcast satellite which was boosted into orbit by an Ariane 5 ECA rocket on March 11, has completed Low Earth Orbit Phase manoeuvres which include fully circularising its orbit at 36,000 km and deploying solar panels and antennas.

Using dedicated facilities located at Eutelsat’s Rambouillet teleport near Paris, these manoeuvres were managed by Eutelsat with support from Alcatel Alenia Space, HOT BIRD™ 7A’s prime contractor, and Telespazio.

The satellite is now undergoing a series of in-orbit tests prior to joining the HOT BIRD™ neighbourhood at 13 degrees East in April in order to assume broadcasts by HOT BIRD™ 1.

HOT BIRD™ 7A will also host a new digital platform operated by Serbia Telekom and accompany the expansion of the digital platform operated by Swiss public broadcaster SRG SSR.

Story link: HOT BIRD™ 7A gearing up for service