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The world’s most sophisticated communications satellite
Designed and built by Airbus Defence and Space for Inmarsat, the leading provider of global mobile satellite communications services, and the European Space Agency (ESA), Alphasat is the most sophisticated commercial communications satellite ever built.
Alphasat carries a new generation of advanced geomobile communications payload in L-band that will augment Inmarsat’s Broadband Global Area Network (BGAN) service, enabling communications across Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East with increased capacity.
Alphasat features eight new-generation digital signal processors for the payload, and an 11-metre antenna reflector. Alphasat also carries four Technology Demonstration Payloads for ESA.
Alphasat was launched by Ariane 5 from Kourou on 25 July 2013.
Alphasat is the first flight model of the new high capacity European satellite platform Alphabus which has been jointly developed by Airbus Defence and Space and Thales Alenia Space with the support of ESA and French national space agency CNES to address the upper range of the communications satellite market. The Alphabus platform is the most powerful platform on the market, capable of conducting missions with a satellite launch mass of up to 8,800 kg, a payload power of up to 22 kW and a payload mass up to 2,000 kg.
Alphasat, designed for 15 years of in-orbit lifetime, will have a launch mass of 6,650 kg and a wingspan of 40 m once its solar arrays are deployed in orbit.
Alphasat satellite
© Airbus Defence and Space
The world’s most sophisticated communications satellite
Designed and built by Airbus Defence and Space for Inmarsat, the leading provider of global mobile satellite communications services, and the European Space Agency (ESA), Alphasat is the most sophisticated commercial communications satellite ever built.
Alphasat carries a new generation of advanced geomobile communications payload in L-band that will augment Inmarsat’s Broadband Global Area Network (BGAN) service, enabling communications across Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East with increased capacity.
Alphasat features eight new-generation digital signal processors for the payload, and an 11-metre antenna reflector. Alphasat also carries four Technology Demonstration Payloads for ESA.
Alphasat was launched by Ariane 5 from Kourou on 25 July 2013.
Alphasat is the first flight model of the new high capacity European satellite platform Alphabus which has been jointly developed by Airbus Defence and Space and Thales Alenia Space with the support of ESA and French national space agency CNES to address the upper range of the communications satellite market. The Alphabus platform is the most powerful platform on the market, capable of conducting missions with a satellite launch mass of up to 8,800 kg, a payload power of up to 22 kW and a payload mass up to 2,000 kg.
Alphasat, designed for 15 years of in-orbit lifetime, will have a launch mass of 6,650 kg and a wingspan of 40 m once its solar arrays are deployed in orbit.
