Stellat 5 / Atlantic Bird 3 → Eutelsat 5 West A (original) (raw)

Stellat 5 → Atlantic Bird 3 [Alcatel]

Stellat 5 is a geostationary communications ssatellite built by Alcatel Space for Stellat, a joint-venture between France Telecom (70%) and Europe*Star (30%), a subsidiary of Alcatel Space and Loral Space & Communications.

It is based on a Spacebus-3000B3 platform with 35 Ku-band and 10 C-band channels. It is dedicated for broadcast and IP services across five continents with a possibility of a two-way Internet access.

The satellite is positioned at 5� West (hence the number 5 in the designation). Shortly after being orbited, the satellite was sold to Eutelsat and renamed Atlantic Bird 3.

In December 2011 Eutelsat announced, that their satellite assets will be renamed under a unified brand name effective from March 2012. This satellite became Eutelsat 5 West A.

The satellite's Ku-band capacity was replaced in 2018 by the Eutelsat 5 West B, while the C-band capacity will be replaced by other Eutelsat satellites. Since 2019, it was operated in inclined orbit for maritime connectivity. In January 2023, it was put into a graveyard orbit 400 km above GEO and was passivated.