Eutelsat 3D satellite launches

Eutelsat Communications has successfully launched its Eutelsat 3D satellite, which will serve customers in Europe, North Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia.

The satellite was launched yesterday by an ILS-supplied Proton Breeze M rocket and will initially operate at the 3° East location until the deployment of the Eutelsat 3B satellite to this position in 2014. It will then continue service at 7° East.

Eutelsat 3D will address high-growth video, data, telecom and broadband markets and serve customers through a configuration of Ku and Ka transponders connected to three footprints. A fourth service area in the Ku-band will serve markets in sub-Saharan Africa.

With the launch, Eutelsat said that it has also signed a new contract with ILS for a satellite to be launched between 2014 and 2016. This will be the eighth satellite to be launched for Eutelsat by the Proton launcher.

Proton released Eutelsat 3D into geosynchronous transfer orbit following a 9-hour, 13-minute flight. The partial deployment of the satellite’s solar panels was successfully completed from Eutelsat’s control centre in Rambouillet 3-hours and 15-minutes after separation from the rocket.