| Names | Affordable Modular Optimized Satellite-2 |
|---|---|
| Mission type | Communications |
| Operator | Spacecom Satellite Communications |
| COSPAR ID | 2003-059A |
| SATCATno. | 28132 |
| Website | https://www.amos-spacecom.com/ |
| Mission duration | 12 years (planned) 13 years (achieved) |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft | AMOS-2 |
| Spacecraft type | AMOS |
| Bus | AMOS Bus |
| Manufacturer | Israel Aerospace Industries (bus) Alenia Spazio (payload) |
| Launch mass | 1,370 kg (3,020 lb) |
| Dry mass | 646 kg (1,424 lb) |
| Dimensions | 2.7 m × 2.06 m × 2.38 m (8 ft 10 in × 6 ft 9 in × 7 ft 10 in) Span: 11.03 m (36.2 ft) on orbit |
| Power | 1900watts |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 27 December 2003, 21:30:00UTC[1] |
| Rocket | Soyuz-FG /Fregat (s/n D15000-008) |
| Launch site | Baikonur,Site 31/6 |
| Contractor | Progress Rocket Space Centre |
| Entered service | January 2004 |
| End of mission | |
| Disposal | Graveyard orbit |
| Deactivated | 2 April 2017[2] |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric orbit[3] |
| Regime | Geostationary orbit |
| Longitude | 4° West |
| Transponders | |
| Band | 22 (+ 6 spares)Ku-band |
| Bandwidth | 72MHz |
| Coverage area | Central Europe,Israel,Middle East |
AMOS-2 is an Israeli commercial second generationcommunication satellite, part of theAMOS series of satellites. The satellite was positioned at 4° Westlongitude in thegeostationary orbit.Transmission andcommunication services given by thissatellite include: direct distribution oftelevision andradio translations to communication centers, distribution ofinternet services, data transmissions to communication networks. The new satellite, like its predecessor, will be positioned 36,000 kilometers above theEarth, and it will lie close toAMOS-1, so that the two can share a single space antenna.[4]
AMOS-2 carries 28Ku-bandtransponders; twenty-two active with six as backups.[4] With a mass of 1370 kg at launch, AMOS-2 incorporated a 400newtonsliquid apogee boost motor and fourteen 10 newtonsreaction control thrusters for raising the satellite's orbit fromgeostationary transfer orbit (GTO) to its final geostationary orbit as well as for itsattitude control. It carried 450 kg of propellant (Monomethylhydrazine andMON-1). AMOS-2 measures 11.03 m in length in its final in-orbit configuration. It is3-axis body stabilised usingSun andEarthsensors,momentum andreaction wheels. Its solar array generates 1900watts power, backed up by 24A·hnickel–cadmium batteries.
Launch was originally planned on anAriane but it could not wait until a launch orbital position was available. France sold the launch orbital position to another customer, due to what it claimed were delays in the satellite's production. After IAI threatened a lawsuit,Arianespace arranged the alternative launch on the Soyuz-FG Fregat, which is made by a company jointly owned by Arianespace.[4] It was therefore transferred onSoyuz-Fregat. AMOS-2 was launched on 27 December 2003, at 21:30:00UTC fromBaikonur Cosmodrome,Kazakhstan and it serves clients in three service regions:Middle East (including Israel), Europe andeastern coast of United States. After its launch intogeostationary transfer orbit (GTO) bySoyuz-FGlaunch vehicle, AMOS-2 was taken to its final geostationary orbit by firing the apogee boost motor in phases. After it reached the geostationary orbit, its antenna andsolar panels were deployed and the satellite was finally placed in its allocated orbital position of 4° West longitude.AMOS-2 andAMOS-3 are placed in proximity to create common location, which enables to satellite users to increase user abilities without additionalantennas.
In April 2017, Amos Spacecom announced that AMOS-2 has reached the end of its commercial life, and is being cleared from the geostationary orbit to thegraveyard orbit.[2]
