The Russian communications satellite, Yamal 402, has finally reached its geostationary Earth orbit and is now ready for operation, Thales Alenia Space said in a statement. The satellite was sent into space on December 8 by the International Launch Services (ILS) from the Baikonur space center in Kazakhstan, but due to some technical glitches, it detached from its upper stage four minutes earlier because of a failure on the rocket’s Breeze-M booster, currently under investigation.
The 4,463kg (9,840lb) satellite built by Thales Alenia Space was subjected to a recovery operation using the satellite’s own fuel reserves and engine to take the spacecraft to its exact geostationary orbit and slot. The Russian satellite arrived at its designated orbit on December 15, but it was not until Wednesday, January 9, that it reached its final location.
Insured up to a value of €310 million ($406 million, the satellite carries a huge fuel reserve, but life-loss is anticipated to be four years.
Thales Alenia Space created the satellite for Russia’s Gazprom Space Systems to provide communication links over Russia, the Middle East, the Commonwealth of Independent States, Europe and Africa. It is equipped with 46 Ku-band transponders to perform its mission.
Recommended additional reading:
No comments:
Post a Comment