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| Mission type | Telecommunications |
|---|---|
| Operator | Embratel (1986-2000) Star One (2000-2004) |
| COSPAR ID | 1986-026B |
| SATCATno. | 16650 |
| Mission duration | 18 years |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Bus | HS-376 |
| Manufacturer | Spar Aerospace / Hughes |
| Launch mass | 1,194.8 kilograms (2,634 lb) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | March 28, 1986 (1986-03-28) at 23:30UTC |
| Rocket | Ariane 3 |
| Launch site | KourouELA-2 |
| Contractor | Arianespace |
| End of mission | |
| Deactivated | February 2004 (2004-03) |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Geostationary |
| Longitude | (first position): 70° W (current position): 153.6° W |
| Semi-major axis | 42,342.0 kilometres (26,310.1 mi) |
| Perigee altitude | 35,947.7 kilometres (22,336.9 mi) |
| Apogee altitude | 35,995.7 kilometres (22,366.7 mi) |
| Inclination | 14.8 degrees |
| Period | 1,445.2 minutes[1] |
| Epoch | 20 April 2017 |
| Transponders | |
| Band | 24IEEEC-band |
| Coverage area | Brazil,South America |
Brasilsat A2 was a Braziliangeostationarycommunication satellite belonging to the Brasilsat family. It was built bySpar Aerospace in partnership withHughes. For most of its useful life it was located in the orbital position of 70 degrees west longitude and was operated byStar One, a subsidiary company ofEmbratel. The satellite was based on the platformHS-376 and its life expectancy was 8 years.[2] The same was out of commission in February 2004 and was transferred to thegraveyard orbit.[3]
The satellite had the shape of a cylinder, where on its top was a directional antenna that opened after the launching of the satellite, had the rotation stabilized of 50 to 55rpm, its movers used like propellant 136 kilograms ofhydrazine and was fed bysolar cells that supplied 982 watts at the beginning of its operation phase, using two NiCd batteries as power reserves. It carried 24C-band transmitters with 6 spare transmitters. They provided anEffective Isotropically Radiated Power (EIRP) effective incident radiation power> 34 dBW for most of theBrazilian territory.
In the 1980s, Brazil needed its own satellites to exempt foreigners. As a result of this effort, the Brazilian companyEmbratel contracted in August 1982 the CanadianSpar Aerospace, Ltd., in partnership with AmericanHughes, to build its series of "Brasilsat A" satellites, the series consisted of two satellites, theBrasilsat-A1 and the Brasilsat A2. Built by Spar Aerospace, which receivedUS$ 125 million to build under license fromHughes, the two Brazilian satellites modelHS-376.
The satellites initially received the name of Brasilsat 1 and 2 and formed the beginning of theBrazilian Telecommunications Satellite System -SBTS. Subsequently, with the launch of the second generation of satellites, they were renamed Brasilsat-A1 and A2, and were replaced by the satellitesBrasilsat B1 andBrasilsat B2.
The Brasilsat A2 satellite was the second Brazilian satellite owned by the former state-owned Embratel, which was privatized on March 28, 1986, by a 2/3Ariane rocket at Kourou's launch base inFrench Guiana. This satellite was equal to Brasilsat A1. It had a mass at the launch of 1,243 kg, Perigee of 35,778 km, Apogee of 35,794 km and a slope of 0.0 degrees. During its commercial life, it was parked at 70 degrees west.
Its contractual life span was 8 years, but the satellite continued to be controlled until the end of 2004, with almost 18 years of life. Brasilsat A2 was operated directly by Embratel until the end of 2000, whenStar One was created a subsidiary ofEmbratel, which was used to manage Embratel's former fleet of satellites. After the satellite was launched in March 1986, it was placed in the orbital position of 70 degrees westlongitude. In 1994 it was transferred to 65 degrees west, where it remained until the month of June 1995, it was moved in August 1995 to 92 degrees west, where it remained until January 2001, it was transferred in March 2001 to 63 degrees west in sloping orbit, the Brasilsat A2 remained in this position until February 2004 when it left service and was sent to thegraveyard orbit.
Its replacement in the orbital position of 70 degrees west to continue with the telecommunications transmissions, was the satellite Brasilsat B1, that was released in 1994.
The satellite was successfully launched into space on March 28, 1986, at 23:30 UTC, by means of an Ariane 3 vehicle launched from the Space launching base of theGuiana Space Center inFrench Guiana along with the SatelliteGStar 2. It had a launch mass of 1,140 kg.
The Brasilsat A2 was equipped with 24transponders inC-band (plus 6 reserve) to provide telecommunications services toBrazil andSouth America.