Eutelsat Communications of Paris announced Feb. 19 that its Eutelsat 3B satellite had arrived at the Long Beach, Calif., home port of Sea Launch in preparation for a scheduled April 15 launch aboard a Zenit 3SL rocket.
Built by Airbus Defence and Space of Europe, Eutelsat 3B is based on the Eurostar 3000 platform and features Ku-, C- and Ka-band payloads, Eutelsat said. Operating at the 3 degrees east longitude orbital slot, the satellite, which replaces Eutelsat 3D, will provide telecom, broadband and video services in support of markets including Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Central Asia and South America, the company said.
Eutelsat 3D will be relocated to another slot to “continue full commercial service,” Eutelsat said.
Sea Launch, headquartered in Bern, Switzerland, will launch Eutelsat 3A from a floating platform near the equator.
