HOT BIRD™ 8 Satellite GOES LIVE

The HOT BIRD™ 8 broadcast satellite of Eutelsat Communications (Euronext Paris: ETL) today went into commercial service at 13 degrees East. The satellite was brought into operation this morning at 01.00 UTC (03.00 Paris time).

With a launch mass of 4.9 tonnes HOT BIRD™ 8 is the largest and most powerful broadcast satellite serving Europe. The satellite has 64 Ku-band transponders which span the entire range of frequencies used at Eutelsat’s HOT BIRD™ neighbourhood for broadcasting more than 950 television channels and 550 radio stations to over 113 million homes. The size and configuration of HOT BIRD™ 8 enables Eutelsat to increase in-orbit redundancy at its premium video neighbourhood and releases HOT BIRD™ 3 for its new mission at 10 degrees East.

Built by EADS Astrium and launched on 5 August from the Baïkonour Cosmodrome, HOT BIRD™ 8’s scheduled in-orbit life is expected to exceed 15 years. Following launch and manoeuvres to bring the satellite into geostationary orbit, HOT BIRD™ 8 completed an exhaustive round of in-orbit tests at 1.7 degrees East. These were followed by a series of digital video and data transmissions at 4 degrees East, which is a future operational position for the Group.

Working in close conjunction with technical teams providing channels with uplink services, Eutelsat’s Control Centre switched all channels broadcast via HOT BIRD™ 3 to HOT BIRD™ 8 in the night of October 2 to 3. This close collaboration enabled a seamless transfer for homes receiving channels in pay-TV platforms or free-to-air. Now released from its mission at 13 degrees East, HOT BIRD™ 3 will begin transfer operations for its relocation to its new position at 10 degrees East where it is scheduled to begin service later in October under the name of EUROBIRD™ 10.

“My congratulations go to the teams working at Eutelsat and to our broadcast clients for the high level of collaboration which ensured the transfer of channels from HOT BIRD™ 3 to our new HOT BIRD™ 8 satellite with optimal conditions for viewers,” commented Giuliano Berretta, CEO of Eutelsat. “The entry into service of HOT BIRD™ 8 and the redeployment of HOT BIRD™ 3 are a perfect illustration of our strategic approach to consolidating our premium video neighbourhoods and developing new positions to support the commercial dynamic of digital broadcasting in Europe and in emerging markets. The close proximity of our 13 and 10 degrees East orbital locations brings us additional resources and enables our clients to benefit from fresh opportunities for developing their service offering and their audience through a single receive antenna equipped with a dual feed.”


HOT BIRD™ 8 statistics:

Prime contracto:r EADS Astrium
Platform: Eurostar 3000
Mission: TV and radio broadcasting
Orbital position: 13 degrees East
Coverage: Europe, North Africa, Middle East
Launcher: Proton M Breeze M
Span in orbit: 39 m with solar panels deployed
Launch mass: 4 875 kg
Life span: > 15 years
Payload: 64 transponders in Ku band
Electric power: 13 kW
Downlink frequencies: 10.70 – 12.75 GHz

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