SATCAT № 27830 Launch mass 1,275 kg (2,811 lb) Launch date 11 June 2003 Mission type Communications satellite | COSPAR ID 2003-028A Spacecraft BSAT-2c Dry mass 535 kg (1,179 lb) Bus GEOStar | |
BSAT-2c, was a geostationary communications satellite operated by B-SAT and was designed and manufactured by Orbital Sciences Corporation on the STAR-1 platform. It was stationed on the 110° East orbital slot along its companion BSAT-2a from where they provided redundant high definition direct television broadcastin across Japan.
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The original companion for BSAT-2a was BSAT-2b, but a launch failure during its launch during July 2001, meant that it was not possible to commission it into service. Thus, during October of the same year BSAT-2c was ordered and launched in June 2003. It was retired in August 2013.
Satellite description
BSAT-2c was designed and manufactured by Orbital Sciences Corporation on the STAR-1 satellite bus for B-SAT. It had a launch mass of 1,275 kg (2,811 lb), a dry mass of 535 kg (1,179 lb), and a 10-year design life. As all four STAR-1 satellites, it had a solid rocket Star 30CBP apogee kick motor for orbit raising, plus 200 kg (440 lb) of propellant for its liquid propellant station keeping thrusters.
It measured 3.7 m × 2.5 m × 2 m (12.1 ft × 8.2 ft × 6.6 ft) when stowed for launch. Its dual wing solar panels could generate 2.6 kW of power at the beginning of its design life, and it span was 11.5 m (38 ft) when fully deployed.
It had a single Ku band payload with four active transponders plus four spares with a TWTA output power of 130 Watts.
History
On March 1999, B-SAT ordered from Orbital Sciences Corporation two satellites based on the STAR-1 platform: BSAT-2a and BSAT-2b. This was the second order of the bus and the first since Orbital had acquired CTA Space Systems, the original developer. During 2001, BSAT-2a was successfully launched, but BSAT-2b was orbited into an incorrect orbit and was considered lost. In October of the same year, B-SAT contracted Orbital for a near copy replacement of the lost spacecraft, called BSAT-2c.
BSAT-2c was launched aboard an Ariane 5G at 22:38 UTC, June 11, 2003 from Guiana Space Center ELA-3. It rode on the lower berth below Optus C1. In July 15, BSAT-2c was commissioned into service starting the broadcast of digital signals.
B-SAT ended the broadcast of analog television in July 2011. During August 2013, BSAT-2c was sent to a graveyard orbit and decommissioned.