Express (satellite)
Encyclopedia
Ekspress is a series of geostationary communications satellite
s owned by Russian State Company for Satellite Communications. The first satellite of this kind was launched on October 13, 1994. The satellites are produced by the company JSC Information Satellite Systems
.
series of comsats. The first satellite of the series, Ekspress 1, was launched in 1994. It had a mass of 2.5 tons, 17 channels and an operational lifetime of at 5–7 years.
Starting in the mid 1990s, NPO PM started to make significant effort to close the technology gap between Russian and Western communication satellites. Cooperation with the French company Alcatel (now Thales Alenia Space
) was begun in 1995. The first satellite of a new second series, Ekspress A-1, had 12 Alcatel-built transponder. It was lost in a rocket failure in 1999, but a replacement, Ekspress A-2 was successfully launched in March, 2000.
A major improvement was the Ekspress AM version, first launched in 2003. It has an operational lifetime of 12–15 years and is able to carry 38 channels, including digital TV, radio, broadband and internet. The launch of the Ekspress AM-3 spacecraft in June, 2005 completed the modernization of Russia's communications satellite network.
Other versions of include the Ekspress 2000, which has a mass of 3.2 tonnes. It has up to 60 transponders, power of 25 kW and a lifetime of 15 years. Satellites using this platform are called the Ekspress AT series and the Ekspress AM30 and AM40 series. Ekspress 1000 is smaller than the 2000 version; 700 kg to 1,400 kg, 10 to 12 transponders, 2 kW of power and a lifetime of 15 years. Satellites based on Ekspress 1000 are called Ekspress AK or in its navigational version GLONASS K
.
The developer NPO PM later changed its name to JSC Information Satellite Systems
. From 1999 to 2005, nine Ekspress-A and Ekspress-AM satellites were manufactured by the company.
On August 28, 2008 Ekspress-AM1 switched to DVB-S2
broadcasting system and became the first DVB-S2 satellite in CIS
countries.
The Ekspress-AM4 satellite was lost in a launch failure in August 2011, after a Proton-M
/Briz-M
left it in a useless orbit, possibly still attached to the upper stage.
Communications satellite
A communications satellite is an artificial satellite stationed in space for the purpose of telecommunications...
s owned by Russian State Company for Satellite Communications. The first satellite of this kind was launched on October 13, 1994. The satellites are produced by the company JSC Information Satellite Systems
JSC Information Satellite Systems
JSC Information Satellite Systems - Reshetnev Company is a Russian satellite manufacturing company. It is based in the closed city of Zheleznogorsk, Krasnoyarsk Krai near the city of Krasnoyarsk. The company was formerly called NPO PM.- Overview :...
.
Overview
The Ekspress series of communication satellites (industry code 11F639) was developed by the satellite company NPO PM as a replacement for the old GorizontGorizont
Gorizont, , GRAU index 11F662, is a series of 35 Russian, previously Soviet, geosynchronous communication satellites launched between 1978 and 2000. The programme was started in order to develop a satellite system to relay coverage of the 1980 Olympic Games from Moscow. The first four satellites...
series of comsats. The first satellite of the series, Ekspress 1, was launched in 1994. It had a mass of 2.5 tons, 17 channels and an operational lifetime of at 5–7 years.
Starting in the mid 1990s, NPO PM started to make significant effort to close the technology gap between Russian and Western communication satellites. Cooperation with the French company Alcatel (now Thales Alenia Space
Thales Alenia Space
Thales Alenia Space is an aerospace company born after the Thales Group bought the participation of Alcatel in the two joint-ventures between Alcatel and Finmeccanica, Alcatel Alenia Space and Telespazio.-History:...
) was begun in 1995. The first satellite of a new second series, Ekspress A-1, had 12 Alcatel-built transponder. It was lost in a rocket failure in 1999, but a replacement, Ekspress A-2 was successfully launched in March, 2000.
A major improvement was the Ekspress AM version, first launched in 2003. It has an operational lifetime of 12–15 years and is able to carry 38 channels, including digital TV, radio, broadband and internet. The launch of the Ekspress AM-3 spacecraft in June, 2005 completed the modernization of Russia's communications satellite network.
Other versions of include the Ekspress 2000, which has a mass of 3.2 tonnes. It has up to 60 transponders, power of 25 kW and a lifetime of 15 years. Satellites using this platform are called the Ekspress AT series and the Ekspress AM30 and AM40 series. Ekspress 1000 is smaller than the 2000 version; 700 kg to 1,400 kg, 10 to 12 transponders, 2 kW of power and a lifetime of 15 years. Satellites based on Ekspress 1000 are called Ekspress AK or in its navigational version GLONASS K
GLONASS
GLONASS , acronym for Globalnaya navigatsionnaya sputnikovaya sistema or Global Navigation Satellite System, is a radio-based satellite navigation system operated for the Russian government by the Russian Space Forces...
.
The developer NPO PM later changed its name to JSC Information Satellite Systems
JSC Information Satellite Systems
JSC Information Satellite Systems - Reshetnev Company is a Russian satellite manufacturing company. It is based in the closed city of Zheleznogorsk, Krasnoyarsk Krai near the city of Krasnoyarsk. The company was formerly called NPO PM.- Overview :...
. From 1999 to 2005, nine Ekspress-A and Ekspress-AM satellites were manufactured by the company.
On August 28, 2008 Ekspress-AM1 switched to DVB-S2
DVB-S2
Digital Video Broadcasting - Satellite - Second Generation is a digital television broadcast standard that has been designed as a successor for the popular DVB-S system. It was developed in 2003 by the , an international industry consortium, and ratified by ETSI in March 2005...
broadcasting system and became the first DVB-S2 satellite in CIS
Commonwealth of Independent States
The Commonwealth of Independent States is a regional organization whose participating countries are former Soviet Republics, formed during the breakup of the Soviet Union....
countries.
The Ekspress-AM4 satellite was lost in a launch failure in August 2011, after a Proton-M
Proton-M
The Proton-M, GRAU index 8K82M or 8K82KM, is a Russian carrier rocket derived from the Soviet-developed Proton. It is built by Khrunichev, and launched from sites 81 and 200 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Commercial launches are marketed by International Launch Services , and generally...
/Briz-M
Briz-M
The Briz-M , is a Russian orbit insertion upper stage manufactured by Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center and used on the Proton-M rocket.- Characteristics :...
left it in a useless orbit, possibly still attached to the upper stage.
Satellites
Between 2000 and 2006, the following Ekspress satellites were launched. All launched were conducted from Baikonour Cosmodrome using the Proton rocket.- Ekspress A-2Ekspress A2Ekspress A2 , also designated Ekspress 6A and sometimes erroneously called Ekspress 2A, is a Russian communications satellite which is operated by Kosmicheskiya Svyaz. It was constructed by NPO Prikladnoi Mekhaniki and Alcatel Space and is based on the MSS-2500-GSO satellite bus. Launch...
. 12 March 2000. - Ekspress A-3Ekspress A3Ekspress A3 , also designated Ekspress 3A, is a Russian communications satellite which is operated by Kosmicheskiya Svyaz and Eutelsat. It was constructed by NPO Prikladnoi Mekhaniki and Alcatel Space and is based on the MSS-2500-GSO satellite bus. The satellite was launched at Baikonur Cosmodrome...
. 24 June 2000. - Ekspress A4. 10 June 2002.
- Ekspress AM22. 29 December 2003.
- Ekspress AM11. 27 April 2004. On 29 March 2006, the AM11 was struck by an unknown object which rendered it inoperable. Luckily, the engineers had enough time in contact with the spacecraft to send it to a parking orbit out of GEO.
- Ekspress AM1. 30 October 2004.
- Ekspress AM2. 29 March 2005.
- Ekspress AM3. 24 June 2005.