| Mission type | Communication |
|---|---|
| Operator | B-SAT |
| COSPAR ID | 2001-011B[1] |
| SATCATno. | 26720 |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft | BSAT-2a |
| Bus | STAR-1[2] |
| Manufacturer | Orbital Sciences Corporation |
| Launch mass | 1,317 kg (2,903 lb) |
| Dry mass | 535 kg (1,179 lb) |
| Dimensions | 3.76 m × 2.49 m × 2.03 m (12.3 ft × 8.2 ft × 6.7 ft) |
| Power | 2.6 kW |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 22:51, March 8, 2001 (UTC) (2001-03-08T22:51:00Z)[1] |
| Rocket | Ariane 5G V-140 |
| Launch site | Guiana Space CenterELA-3 |
| Contractor | Arianespace |
| Entered service | April 26, 2001 |
| End of mission | |
| Disposal | Placed in agraveyard orbit |
| Deactivated | January 2013 (2013-01) |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Graveyard orbit[3] |
| Semi-major axis | 42,474 km |
| Perigee altitude | 36,069.5 km |
| Apogee altitude | 36,137.2 km |
| Inclination | 3.4° |
| Period | 1,451.9 minutes |
| Epoch | 00:00:00 UTC 2016-09-07 |
| Transponders | |
| Band | 4 (plus 4 spares)Ku band |
| TWTA power | 130 Watts |
BSAT-2a, was ageostationarycommunications satellite operated byB-SAT which was designed and manufactured byOrbital Sciences Corporation on theSTAR-1 platform. It was stationed on the 110° East orbital slot along its companionBSAT-2c from where they provided redundanthigh definitiondirect television broadcasting across Japan.[4][5][6]
BSAT-2a was designed and manufactured byOrbital Sciences Corporation on theSTAR-1satellite bus forB-SAT. It had a launch mass of 1,317 kg (2,903 lb), a dry mass of 535 kg (1,179 lb), and a 10-year design life.[7] As all four STAR-1 satellites, it had a solid rocketStar 30CBPapogee kick motor fororbit raising, plus 200 kg (440 lb) of propellant for its liquid propellant station keeping thrusters.[5][2][8]
It measured 3.76 m × 2.49 m × 2.03 m (12.3 ft × 8.2 ft × 6.7 ft) when stowed for launch. Its dual wing solar panels can generate 2.6 kW of power at the beginning of its design life, and span 16.10 m (52.8 ft) when fully deployed.[7]
It has a singleKu band payload with four activetransponders plus four spares with aTWTA output power of 130 Watts.[4][7]
In March 1999,B-SAT ordered fromOrbital Sciences Corporation two satellites based on theSTAR-1 platform:BSAT-2a andBSAT-2b.[9] This was the second order of the bus and the first since Orbital had acquired CTA Space Systems, the original developer.[2]
BSAT-2a was launched aboard anAriane 5G at 22:51 UTC, March 8, 2001, fromGuiana Space CenterELA-3.[10] It rode on the lower berth belowEurobird. On April 26, BSAT-2a was commissioned into service starting the broadcast of digital signals.[1][9]
B-SAT ended the broadcast of analog television in July 2011. During January 2013, BSAT-2a was sent to a graveyard orbit and decommissioned.[9][4]
