Astra 2E is one of the Astra communications satellites owned and operated by SES S.A., launched to the Astra 28.2°E orbital position on 30 September 2013[2] after a 10-week delay caused by launcher problems. The satellite provides free-to-air and encrypted direct-to-home (DTH) digital television and satellite broadband services for Europe and the Middle East.[3]
| Names | Eutelsat 28E |
|---|---|
| Mission type | Communications |
| Operator | SES S.A. |
| COSPAR ID | 2013-056A  |
| SATCAT no. | 39285 |
| Website | https://www.ses.com/ |
| Mission duration | 15 years (planned) 10 years, 9 months, 23 days (elapsed) |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft type | Eurostar |
| Bus | Eurostar-3000 |
| Manufacturer | Astrium (now Airbus Defence and Space) |
| Launch mass | 6,020 kg (13,270 lb) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 29 September 2013, 21:38 UTC |
| Rocket | Proton-M / Briz-M |
| Launch site | Baikonur, Site 200/39 |
| Contractor | Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center |
| Entered service | February 2014 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric orbit[1] |
| Regime | Geostationary orbit |
| Longitude | 28.2° East |
| Transponders | |
| Band | 63transponders: 60Ku-band 3Ka-band |
| Coverage area | Europe, Middle East, Africa |
|
← Astra 2F
Astra 5B →
| |
After launch, Astra 2E underwent in-orbit testing at 43.5° East[4] and began commercial operations at 28.2° East in February 2014.[5] At that time, channels broadcast via Astra 1N (temporarily located at 28.2° East pending Astra 1E's launch) were transferred to Astra 2E and Astra 1N relocated to its design position at 19.2° East.[6]
Astra 2E is the second of three "second generation" satellites for the 28.2° East position to replace the first generation Astra 2A, Astra 2B, Astra 2C and Astra 2D craft originally positioned there between 1998 and 2001.[7] The first, Astra 2F, was launched in 2012,[8] and the third, Astra 2G, was launched on 27 December 2014.[9])
Unlike other SES/Astra satellites, the launch order of Astra 2E and Astra 2F is not reflected in their alphabetical names, with Astra 2F launched 10 months before Astra 2E.
The Astra 28.2° East orbital position was established in 1998 to provide digital television, digital radio and multimedia services to the United Kingdom and Ireland, and Astra 2E's primary mission is to continue this provision as replacement and follow-on capacity to the Astra 2A, Astra 2D and Astra 1N satellites. Along with Astra 2F it delivers programming to almost 13 million satellite homes, over 3 million cable homes, and 700,000 Internet Protocol television (IPTV) homes in the United Kingdom and Ireland, in particular for channels from the major United Kingdom digital satellite television satellite bus, BSkyB and Freesat.[10]
ASTRA 2E also delivers broadcast and Very-small-aperture terminal (VSAT) services in Europe, Middle East and AfricainKu-band.[11] and Ka-band capacity will provide internet via satellite with download speeds of up to 20 Mbit/s to Germany.[12]
Astra 2E has three Ku-band downlink beams covering Europe and the Middle East:
The Ka-band footprint for satellite broadband provides full service coverage centred on central Europe and extending to France, Italy, the Balkans, the United Kingdom, and southern Sweden and Norway.[11]
The satellite is fitted with 60 Ku-band transponders.[12]
The launch of Astra 2E was intended to be by International Launch Services (ILS) Proton-M launch vehicle on 21 July 2013,[14] but the previous launch of this launch vehicle on 2 July 2013, carrying three Russian GLONASS navigation satellites, ended with the exploding shortly after lift off and the Proton launch programme was postponed.[15] The fault with the failed rocket was found to be the incorrect installation of three angular rate sensors, Roscosmos reported,[16] and the launch programme was recommenced in September 2013.
Below is a list, as of November 2023[update], of the TV channels broadcast from Astra 2E on its UK Beam and European Beam (the UK Beam is the most difficult to receive outside Britain and its islands):[17]
UK Beam
Tp41 10.714 GHz H 22000 5/6:
Tp45 10.773 GHz H 23000 3/4 DVB-S2:
Tp46 10.788 GHz V 23000 3/4 DVB-S2:
Tp47 10.803 GHz H 22000 5/6:
Tp48 10.818 GHz V 23000 3/4 DVB-S2:
Tp50 10.847 GHz V 23000 3/4 DVB-S2:
Tp53 10.891 GHz H 22000 5/6:
Tp54 10.906 GHz V 22000 5/6:
Tp56 10.936 GHz V 22000 5/6:
Tp113 11.386 GHz H 29500 8/9 DVB-S2 (encrypted in VideoGuard):
Tp114 11.386 GHz V 29500 8/9 DVB-S2 (encrypted in VideoGuard):
Tp115 11.426 GHz H 27500 2/3 (encrypted in Conax):
Tp116 11.426 GHz V 29500 8/9 DVB-S2:
European Beam
Tp3 11.758 GHz H 27500 2/3 DVB-S2 (encrypted in VideoGuard):
Tp7 11.836 GHz H 27500 5/6 (encrypted in VideoGuard):
Tp8 11.856 GHz V 27500 2/3 DVB-S2 (encrypted in VideoGuard):
Tp11 11.914 GHz H 27500 5/6 (encrypted in VideoGuard):
Tp12 11.934 GHz V 27500 5/6 (encrypted in VideoGuard):
Tp16 12.012 GHz V 27500 2/3 DVB-S2 (encrypted in VideoGuard):
Tp19 12.070 GHz H 27500 5/6 (encrypted in VideoGuard):
Tp20 12.090 GHz V 27500 2/3 DVB-S2 (encrypted in VideoGuard):
Tp34 12.363 GHz V 27500 2/3 DVB-S2 (encrypted in VideoGuard):
