Astra 2A
Astra 2A is one of the Astra communications satellites owned by SES. Launched in 1998, half its expected end-of-life capacity of 28 transponders were pre-booked by BSkyB, who utilised it to launch their new Sky Digital service. 21 transponders are active, as of 2006[update], with two of these active but unused.
The satellite suffered pre-launch technical issues with its apogee motors and was moved to a launch by the Proton rocket rather than the Ariane 5, as the Proton was deemed more suitable considering the craft's precarious state.[1]
When positioned at 28E, it joined DFS Kopernikus 1, which served mainly Eastern Europe. The satellite was the first of Astra's craft to never carry analogue television services (with the exception of a solitary test card in 1999 [2]), and as of 2006, carries standard definition digital television, digital radio, and high-definition digital television, as well as Sky Interactive streams and the AVC Broadband and Silvermead satellite internet services. Two beams, both of which transmit on horizontal and vertical polarisation, exist - "2A North" and "2A South". The South beam covers almost all of Europe, with the North beam covering only Northern Europe at a high power.
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Lunar Prospector | Skynet 4D | Ofek-4 | STS-89 | Soyuz TM-27 | USA-137 | Brasilsat B3 · Inmarsat-3 F5 | Orbcomm FM3 · Orbcomm FM4 · GFO · Ad Astra | Globalstar 1 · Globalstar 2 · Globalstar 3 · Globalstar 4 | Kosmos 2349 | Iridium 50 · Iridium 52 · Iridium 53 · Iridium 54 · Iridium 56 | Kakehashi | SNOE · Teledesic 1 | Hot Bird 4 | Intelsat 806 | Progress M-38 (VDU-2) | USA-138 | SPOT 4 | Iridium 51 · Iridium 61 | Iridium 55 · Iridium 57 · Iridium 58 · Iridium 59 · Iridium 60 | TRACE | Iridium 62 · Iridium 63 · Iridium 64 · Iridium 65 · Iridium 66 · Iridium 67 · Iridium 68 | STS-90 | Globalstar 6 · Globalstar 8 · Globalstar 14 · Globalstar 15 | Nilesat 101 · BSat-1B | Kosmos 2350 | Iridium 69 · Iridium 71 | Kosmos 2351 | EchoStar IV | USA-139 | NOAA-15 | Progress M-39 | Iridium 70 · Iridium 72 · Iridium 73 · Iridium 74 · Iridium 75 | Zhongwei 1 | STS-91 | Thor 3 | Kosmos 2352 · Kosmos 2353 · Kosmos 2354 · Kosmos 2355 · Kosmos 2356 · Kosmos 2357 | Intelsat 805 | Kosmos 2358 | Kosmos 2359 | Molniya 3-49 | Nozomi | Shtil-1 · Tubsat-N · Tubsat-N1 | Resurs-O1 #4 · Fasat-Bravo · TMSAT · Gurwin Techsat 1B · WESTPAC · SAFIR-2 | Sinosat-1 | Kosmos 2360 | Orbcomm FM13 · Orbcomm FM14 · Orbcomm FM15 · Orbcomm FM16 · Orbcomm FM17 · Orbcomm FM18 · Orbcomm FM19 · Orbcomm FM20 | Mercury 3 | Soyuz TM-28 | Iridium 3 · Iridium 76 | ST-1 | Galaxy 10 | Astra 2A | Kwangmyŏngsŏng-1 | Iridium 77 · Iridium 79 · Iridium 80 · Iridium 81 · Iridium 82 | Globalstar 5 · Globalstar 7 · Globalstar 9 · Globalstar 10 · Globalstar 11 · Globalstar 12 · Globalstar 13 · Globalstar 16 · Globalstar 17 · Globalstar 18 · Globalstar 20 · Globalstar 21 | PAS-7 | Orbcomm FM21 · Orbcomm FM22 · Orbcomm FM23 · Orbcomm FM24 · Orbcomm FM25 · Orbcomm FM26 · Orbcomm FM27 · Orbcomm FM28 | Molniya-1T #99 | STEX (USA-141) | Eutelsat W2 · Sirius 3 | Hot Bird 5 | USA-140 | Maqsat 3 | Deep Space 1 · SEDSAT-1 | Progress M-40 ( Sputnik 41) | AfriStar · GE-5 | STS-95 (SPARTAN-201 · PANSAT) | PAS-8 | Iridium 2 · Iridium 83 · Iridium 84 · Iridium 85 · Iridium 86 | Zarya | Bonum 1 | STS-88 ( Unity · PMA-1 · PMA-2 · SAC-A · MightySat-1 | Satmex 5 | SWAS | Nadezhda 5 · Astrid 2 | Mars Climate Orbiter | Iridium 11 · Iridium 20 | PAS-6B | Kosmos 2361 | Kosmos 2362 · Kosmos 2363 · Kosmos 2364
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Payloads are separated by bullets ( · ), launches by pipes ( | ). Manned flights are indicated in bold text. Uncatalogued launch failures are listed in italics. Payloads deployed from other spacecraft are denoted in brackets.
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