Astra 2E

[john777]

Looks like the switch over as now been put back till January.
Information was its to close to Xmas and it could possibly cause problems to UK viewers over the festive season ?

 

[Merliin]

As Astra 2E can duplicate all of the frequencies currently used by Astra 1N the switch over could take place over night with no re-tuning required & no one in the UK would notice the difference,

I do not see any reason to delay the switch over as the satellite has been fully tested & is now ready for service @ 28.2 east.

 

[Merliin]

CURRENT STATUS FOR ASTRA 2E: Testing ended at the Test position. (25-11-2013)

Astra 2E' will soon start moving to towards 28.2° east, where the satellite will be handed over to SES. SES will then carry out their own tests before transferring any transponders from Astra 1N.

 

[trevortron]

Ah, but how soon is 'soon'? Testing concluded over a week ago, but still no sign of movement (other than usual drift), one has to wonder what this latest hold up is.

 

[Merliin]

Testing ceased on the European & UK beams over a week ago then test continued on the Middle East Ku Band beam & Europe Interconnect Ka-band beam,

Astra 2E will probably start to move this weekend after Astra 1H has passed by moving to it's new location,

This will allow 2E to arrive @ 28.2 east within the next 2 weeks in time to start service as planned,

What impact will all this have for the viewer?

In all likelihood the move of BBC services from 1N to their new permanent homes will have no impact on UK households. Astra 2E and 2F have the same, tighter but slightly more powerful UK spot beams which means that UK households should get a slightly stronger signal. So if you happened to be on the edge of coverage, you will hopefully get more reliable reception.

The overspill of the BBC’s services will be reduced so viewers outside the UK will find it even harder to receive them. I know that this causes unhappiness to some of you living outside the UK. However, it is entirely appropriate because the BBC domestic services are for people living in the UK only satellite changeover completion by the end of 2013.

I think it is just wishful thinking that it will not happen before Xmas.

http://www.skyinmadrid.com/pages/news.html

 

[Merliin]

Satellite Tracking update Astra 1H has now passed Astra 2E moving West to an unknown location,

ASTRA 1H

LOCAL TIME:
08:52:10
UTC:
08:52:10
LATITUDE:
0.28
LONGITUDE:
43.28
ALTITUDE [km]:
35826.65
ALTITUDE [mi]:
22261.65
SPEED [km/s]:
0.06
SPEED [mi/s]:
0.04


ASTRA 2E

LOCAL TIME:
08:54:13
UTC:
08:54:13
LATITUDE:
-0.07
LONGITUDE:
43.55
ALTITUDE [km]:
35778.61
ALTITUDE [mi]:
22231.8
SPEED [km/s]:
0
SPEED [mi/s]:
0

 

[trevortron]

1H is quite an old bird, I wonder why it's in such a hurry.... somewhat faster than 2F's transit last year IIRC.

 

[forest1]

call me thick but the purpose of all this ?

 

[trevortron]

call me thick but the purpose of all this ?

I tried to reply with the answer '42', but the message was too short. So instead...

Firstly, we are enthusiasts, and we like to track the goings-on up in space. As a $ly or Freesat viewer, in the UK you would be none the wiser as to what is happening.

Secondly, for we who live and work abroad, this new satellite will likely spell the end of us being able to pick up UK TV.

 

[forest1]

I tried to reply with the answer '42', but the message was too short. So instead...

Firstly, we are enthusiasts, and we like to track the goings-on up in space. As a $ly or Freesat viewer, in the UK you would be none the wiser as to what is happening.

Secondly, for we who live and work abroad, this new satellite will likely spell the end of us being able to pick up UK TV.

Sorry mate misunderstanding , I meant in switching birds what do we gain or lose will the signal strength be better etc

 

[trevortron]

Sorry mate misunderstanding , I meant in switching birds what do we gain or lose will the signal strength be better etc

OIC. It is part of an on-going process to replace ageing sat's- 2A is operating beyond its planned lifetime so needs replacing before it starts failing/falling out the sky. 1N was never really supposed to be at 28.2,° and will soon be on its way to 19.2°.
The new 2E bird has a UK 'spot beam' to reduce the overspill and therefore hopefully increase signal strength in UK & Ireland, hence the flap it is causing elsewhere.

 

[forest1]

OIC. It is part of an on-going process to replace ageing sat's- 2A is operating beyond its planned lifetime so needs replacing before it starts failing/falling out the sky. 1N was never really supposed to be at 28.2,° and will soon be on its way to 19.2°.
The new 2E bird has a UK 'spot beam' to reduce the overspill and therefore hopefully increase signal strength in UK & Ireland, hence the flap it is causing elsewhere.

Thanks for clearing that up mate , so the satellite moving to Astra 19 east is that for the same reasons

 

[trevortron]

Essentially, yes. 1N was originally intended for 19E (its footprint matches the outline of Europe, including a Canaries side lobe) but was needed more urgently at 28.2 because of delays to 2E & F. Because of this, viewers all over Europe can currently receive BBC & ITV quite easily and that is not going down well with the copyright holders. That is likely to end when 2E takes over.

 

[Merliin]

I think that Astra 1H is on it's way to 31.5 east due to the delayed launch of Astra 5B to 1st qtr 2014.

 

[satesco]

Both satellites are closer now,Astra 1H at 42.45 degrees east, and Astra 2F at 43.57E.

 

[Merliin]

Now that 1H has passed 2E maybe they will get a Technician onto moving 2E to 28.2 east as the hold up is delaying a lot of new services on 28.2 east & the Germans can be none too happy at the delay of moving 1N to 19.2 east as 2B does not cover the frequencies required for their new services it would seem otherwise they would be using 2B.

 

[trevortron]

Now that 1H has passed 2E maybe they will get a Technician onto moving 2E to 28.2 east as the hold up is delaying a lot of new services on 28.2 east & the Germans can be none too happy at the delay of moving 1N to 19.2 east as 2B does not cover the frequencies required for their new services it would seem otherwise they would be using 2B.

In a logical world I'd agree 100%, but with SES at the helm it probably won't be that simple.

 

[trevortron]

Well it look like the bird is finally on the move- latest TLE suggests she's around 42°E now (level with Turksat), so on-schedule to relieve 1N some time in Feb.

 

[john777]

Re: Astra 2E Move

Looks like its moved about a degree, if it is on the move it will still take about 2 weeks to reach its target destination. They will be using a minimum burn path to preserve as much fuel as possible as this will help with the overall operational lifetime of the satellite.

Just for fun: The electrical systems on-board satellites can operate for many decades, they just run out of fuel that maintains their geostationary orbit. There are satellites launched in the early days of space communications that still have functional electrical systems (from the 60's and 70's). Typically they are drifted up into Graveyard orbit (mostly Geostationary platforms) and others are crashed into the ocean (typically LEO satellites Low Earth Orbit).
No petrol stations in space

 

[john777]

Re: Astra 2E Move

Even though it looks like it as stopped moving and it is showing know speed on the tracking website.

Most likely it still is in motion but not updated at this moment in time on the various web sources, putting the brakes on would cost valuable fuel (unless the satellite was in danger there would be no reason to stop the drift).

So all looks ok