| Industry | Satellite communication |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1995 |
| Headquarters | Paris, France |
| Website | eutelsat.com |
Hot Bird is the name of a popular family of satellites operated by Eutelsat, located at 13°E over the Equator (orbital position) and with a transmitting footprint over Europe, North Africa and the Middle East.
Only digital radio and television channels are transmitted by the Hot Bird constellation, both free-to-air and encrypted. In addition there are a few interactive and IP services. The satellites currently operate at 13° East and are numbered 6, 8 and 9.
Contents |
| Name[1] | Launch Location | Current Location | Launch date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hot Bird 1 | Kourou | Junk orbit | 28 March 1995 | Inactive |
| Hot Bird 2 (Eurobird 9) | Cape Canaveral | 48°E | 21 November 1996 | Active |
| Hot Bird 3 (Eurobird 4) | Kourou | Junk orbit | 2 September 1997 | Inactive |
| Hot Bird 4 (Atlantic Bird 4) | Kourou | 16°E | 27 February 1998 | Active |
| Hot Bird 5 (Eurobird 2) | Cape Canaveral | 25.5°E | 9 October 1998 | Active |
| Hot Bird 6 | Cape Canaveral | 13°E | 21 August 2002 | Active |
| Hot Bird 7 | Kourou | n/a - aborted launch | 11 November 2002 | Failed |
| Hot Bird 7A (Eurobird 9A) | Kourou | 9°E | 12 March 2006 | Active |
| Hot Bird 8 | Baikonur | 13°E | 4 August 2006 | Active |
| Hot Bird 9 | Kourou | 13°E | 20 December 2008 | Active |
| Hot Bird 10 (EUTELSAT 3C) | Kourou | 3°E | February 2009 | Active |
Hot Bird 1 was launched by Ariane 44LP in 28 March 1995. The 13° East slot predates the launch, with Eutelsat 1F1 having been located there as early as 1983, and Eutelsat 2F1 having also served time at the location. It has reached end-of-life.
Hot Bird 3 was launched by Ariane 44LP in 02 sep 1997 and intended to be moved to 10°E to become Eurobird 10. During the drift from 13°E to 10°E, the satellite suffered loss of power from one solar array. It was nevertheless successfully moved to 10°E, but could only operate at a reduced capacity. Since then, it is operating at 4°E under the name Eurobird 4. At last it moved to 75°E and its and renamed to ABS_1B. It has reached end-of-life.
Hot Bird 4 was launched by Ariane 42P in 27 Feb 1998 and redeployed to 7°W in July 2006, becoming Atlantic Bird 4 / Nilesat 103
Hot Bird 5 was launched by Atlas-2A in 09 Oct 1998 and re-located to 25.5°E and renamed Eurobird 2. Six transponders are leased to Arabsat under the name Badr 2, after having been called Arabsat 2D.
Hot Bird 6 was launched by Atlas V 401 in 21 July 2002. Starting on 12 June 2009, the day of Iranian elections, deliberate interference affecting this satellite was traced to Iran. Hot Bird 6 is the primary carrier for BBC Persian Television.[2]
Hot Bird 7 was lost in December 2002 during the Ariane 5 ECA launch. Its replacement, Hot Bird 7A (a Spacebus 3000B3) was successfully launched on 11 March 2006.
Hot Bird 8 was launched by Proton_(rocket) in 5 August 2006. With a launch mass of 4.9 tonnes, Hot Bird 8 is the largest and the most powerful broadcast satellite serving Europe.
Hot Bird 9 was launched by Ariane 5 ECA in December 2008. Its entry into service enabled the Hot Bird 7A satellite to be redeployed to 9° East and rebranded Eurobird 9A, increasing capacity to 38 Ku band transponders at this orbital position.
Hot Bird 10 was launched by Ariane 5 ECA in February 2009 with NSS-9, Spirale A and Spirale B. It will support Eutelsat's expansion at 7° West, a key video neighbourhood for the Middle East. The EUTELSAT 3C (new name) satellite, having completed its mission at 7 degrees West as ATLANTIC BIRD™ 4A, has now been redeployed to 3 degrees East. Here, it will address data and telecoms markets in Europe and South-West Asia with high-power Ku-band coverage. It is colocated at 3 degrees East with EUTELSAT 3A. Eutelsat has expanded its commercial response to high-growth video, data, telecom and broadband markets with the opening of business at the 3° East orbital position.
Up to 1000 television and radio channels are available Free-To-Air.
| Name | Location | Website |
|---|---|---|
| Eutelsat | France | www.eutelsat.com |
| GLOBCOS NetWorks GmbH | Switzerland | www.globcos.com |
| Globecast | France | www.globecast.com |
| Wide Network Solutions | United Kingdom | www.widenetworks.net |
| SKY Italia | Italy | www.sky.it |
| Arqiva | United Kingdom | www.arqiva.com |
| RRSat | Israel | www.rrsat.com |
| SatLink | Israel | www.satlink.tv |