E-BIRD, the first satellite built by Boeing for Eutelsat, S.A. of France, is set to launch on Saturday, September 27. The Boeing 376HP model satellite was built by Boeing Satellite Systems (BSS) in El Segundo, Calif.
The all-Ku-band satellite is the first spacecraft optimized for two-way broadband Internet connectivity. Paris-based Eutelsat, one of the world’s leading satellite operators, will deploy e-BIRD to serve users across a broad region of Europe and Turkey from the satellite’s 33 degrees east orbital slot.
“Boeing is pleased to provide Eutelsat with a reliable, versatile spacecraft combining a proven, spin-stabilized design with the most advanced antenna ever used on a Boeing 376,” said Dave Ryan, president of Boeing Satellite Systems International. “The Boeing 376 spacecraft model has a heritage of quality, and I am confident that e-BIRD will support Eutelsat’s drive to offer a diverse array of broadband applications via satellite.”
Arianespace will lift the satellite into orbit aboard an Ariane 5 rocket from the Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana on the northeast coast of South America. The 19-minute launch window opens at 4:02 p.m. PDT (23:02 GMT).
E-BIRD will be the 207th Boeing-built commercial communications satellite launched to date. Forty years ago this year, the Boeing-built Syncom ushered in a revolution as the world’s first geosynchronous communications satellite. Like Syncom, e-BIRD will use spin-stabilization to remain on station in proper attitude above the Earth.
E-BIRD carries 20 active transponders and is designed to generate a minimum of 1,600 watts of power through the end of its 10-year service life.
