37258 - EUTELSAT KA-SAT 9A

KA-SAT, a European communications satellite, was launched from Baikonur on 26 December 2010 at 21:51 UT by a Proton rocket. KA-SAT is Europe's first satellite with an exclusively Ka-band communications payload. The craft carries 82 Ka-band spot beams to provide 70 Gbit/s of capacity across Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East. Each of its beams can handle up to 900 Mbit/s of two-way communications traffic. KA-SAT is parked in a geosynchronous orbital location at 9 degrees E. The expected operational life of KA-SAT is 15 years.

Facts in Brief

Launch Date: 2010-12-26
Launch Vehicle: Proton
Launch Site: Tyuratam (Baikonur Cosmodrome), Kazakhstan