Astra 1F is one of the Astra communications satellites in geostationary orbit owned and operated by SES. It was launched in April 1996 to the Astra 19.2°E orbital slot initially to provide digital television and radio for direct-to-home (DTH) across Europe.

Astra 1F
Mission typeCommunications
OperatorSES
COSPAR ID1996-021A Edit this at Wikidata
SATCAT no.23842
Websitehttps://www.ses.com/
Mission duration15 years (planned)
24 years, 7 months (achieved)
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft typeBoeing 601
BusHS-601
ManufacturerHughes Space and Communications
Launch mass3,010 kg (6,640 lb)
Power4.7 kW
Start of mission
Launch date8 April 1996, 23:09:01 UTC
RocketProton-K / DM-2M
Launch siteBaikonur, Site 81/23
ContractorKhrunichev State Research and Production Space Center
Entered serviceJune 1996
End of mission
DisposalGraveyard orbit
DeactivatedNovember 2020
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric orbit[1]
RegimeGeostationary orbit
LongitudeAstra 19.2°E (1996-2009)
51°E (2009-20100
55°E (2010-2015)
44.5°E (2015-2020)
Transponders
Band16 Ku-band
BandwidthFSS: 26 Mhz
BSS: 33 MHz
Coverage areaEurope

The satellite originally provided two broadcast beams, of horizontal and vertical polarisation, for Fixed Service Satellite (FSS) (10.70-10.95 GHz) and for Broadcast Satellite Service (BSS) (11.70-12.10 GHz) frequency bands. The FSS beams provide footprints that cover essentially the same area of Europe – northern, central and eastern Europe, including Spain and northern Italy – while the BSS horizontal beam excludes Spain and extends further east, and the BSS vertical beam includes Spain and more of southern Italy but does not extend so far east. Within the footprints, television signals are usually received with a 60–80 cm dish.[2]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "ASTRA 1F". www.n2yo.com. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
  2. ^ "Astra 1E, 1F". space.skyrocket.de. Gunter's Space Page. 11 December 2017. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
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