Eutelsat W3B - lost

[Analoguesat]

Eutelsat W3B will slot at 16E in late 2010 and will have three key coverage zones:

- high-power Ku-band coverage of Europe with a beam centred over Central/Eastern Europe, particularly optimised for Direct-to-Home (DTH) reception in this region.

- extensive coverage across Extended Europe, North Africa and the Middle East, via a Ku-band beam optimised for professional video links and data networks;

- Ku-band coverage of Sub-Saharan Africa and Indian Ocean islands for regional telecommunications and Internet services. Interconnection with Europe will also be possible with the African coverage through a combination of Ka-band frequencies in Europe and Ku-band frequencies in Africa.

 

[Analoguesat]

Eutelsat W3B was declared lost after a thruster malfunction in the early hours of 29/10/2010.

-http://www.eutelsat.com/news/compress/en/2010/html/PR4810W3Bloss-post-launch/PR4810W3Bloss-post-launch.html

The footprints listed here are now only for historical interest

 

[Analoguesat]

Interestingly slightly different European footprints were issued shortly before W3B was launched. Saved for posterity here are the later pictures.

Its a terrible shame W3B was lost as the footprints looked most favourable for the uk

 

[Analoguesat]

Eutelsat have failed to de-orbit W3B, and at the beginning of November 2010 it was announced she was to be abandoned in her transfer orbit.

All the remaining fuel and station-keeping propellants were dumped, the batteries were shorted out and she was left to drift.

Its expected W3B will re-enter the atmosphere in 20-30 years.:-Nooo