Astra 2B

Astra 2B is one of the Astra communications satellites owned and operated by SES. Launched in 2000 to join Astra 2A at the Astra 28.2°E orbital slot providing digital television and radio broadcast services to the UK and Republic of Ireland, the satellite was moved in February 2013 to the Astra 19.2°E position and then in January 2014 to the Astra 31.5°E slot. It is currently at 19.2°E.

The satellite provides two broadcast beams, each with horizontal and vertical polarisation, across two footprints - 2B North (covering central Europe and Scandinavia) and 2B South (covering Central Europe and the Iberian peninsula and Canary Islands).

While at 28.2°E, TV signals could be received with a 43 cm dish across the majority of the British Isles with a 60 cm dish required in the extreme north and west, although the official footprint maps now show a 60 cm dish as required across all of western Europe. At 28.2°E 17 transponders on Astra 2B were used by BSkyB to provide the Sky Digital TV services of standard and high definition TV and digital radio. Astra 2B could also provide backup capacity, substituting for one or more transponders across the whole 10.70-12.75 GHz range used by Astra satellites in the Astra 19.2°E and Astra 28.2°E orbital positions.

A third, steerable beam provides 8 transponders in the 12.50-12.75 GHz range for Internet and telecommunications services in West Africa. This aspect of the satellite was originally the commercial responsibility of SES New Skies (now incorporated into SES).

Following the launch of Astra 2F to 28.2°E, in February 2013 Astra 2B started its planned move from that position to Astra 19.2°E, to serve alongside Astra 1KR, Astra 1L, Astra 1M, and Astra 2C, arriving in position by February 27, 2013. In January 2014, Astra 2B moved to the Astra 31.5°E slot, pending the delayed launch of Astra 5B to that position and stayed there as back-up until it was moved back to 19.2°E in December 2016.