| Mission type | Communications |
|---|---|
| Operator | SES |
| COSPAR ID | 2001-025A |
| SATCAT no. | 26853 |
| Website | https://www.ses.com/ |
| Mission duration | 15 years (planned) Final: 26 years and 6 months |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft type | Boeing 601 |
| Bus | BSS 601 HP |
| Manufacturer | Boeing Satellite Systems |
| Launch mass | 3,643 kg (8,031 lb) |
| Power | 7.0 kW |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 16 June 2001, 01:49:00 UTC |
| Rocket | Proton-K / DM-03 |
| Launch site | Baikonur, Site 81/23 |
| Contractor | Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center |
| Entered service | August 2001 |
| End of mission | |
| Disposal | Graveyard orbit |
| Deactivated | June 2024 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric orbit[1] |
| Regime | Geostationary orbit |
| Longitude | Astra 19.2°E (2001–2007) Astra 28.2°E (2007–2009) Astra 31.5°E (2009–2010) Astra 19.2°E (2010–2014) Astra 28.2°E (2014–2015) 60.5° East (2015–2018) Astra 23.5°E (2018-2021) 72.5°W (2021-2024) |
| Transponders | |
| Band | 32 Ku-band |
| Bandwidth | 33 MHz |
| Coverage area | Europe |
Astra 2C is one of the Astra communications satellites owned and operated by SES. Designed to join Astra 2A and Astra 2B at the Astra 28.2°E orbital position providing digital television and radio broadcast services to the United Kingdom and Ireland, the satellite was first used after launch in 2001 at 19.2° East for pan-European coverage.
The satellite provides one broadcast beam with horizontal and vertical polarisation, across a single footprint covering the areas of Central and Eastern Europe, Scandinavia, the Iberian Peninsula and Canary Islands.[2]
TV signals can be received with a 50 cm dish across the majority of the British Isles with a 60 cm dish required in the extreme north and west. Astra 2C can also provide backup capacity, substituting for one or more transponders across the 10.70-12.20 GHz broadcast range used by Astra satellites in the Astra 19.2°E and Astra 28.2°E orbital positions.
- ^ "ASTRA 2C". N2YO.com. Retrieved 27 May 2018.
- ^ "Astra 2C". SES. Archived from the original on 25 January 2012. Retrieved 26 January 2012.