The payload to be lofted by Flight 144 is Atlantic BirdTM 2: an important
new addition to Eutelsat’s constellation of relay satellites.
Built by Alcatel Space, Atlantic BirdTM 2 will significantly expand
Eutelsat’s capacity through the Atlantic Gate – the telecommunication
operator’s orbital relay capacity over the Atlantic Ocean that handles TV,
data and high-speed Internet services.
Atlantic BirdTM 2 is designed to provide high-power, single-hop
communications from the Americas to Continental Europe, North Africa and the
Middle East. The satellite also will enable the European continent to reach
the equally important corporate and consumer audiences in the Americas.
Equipped with 26 transponders, Atlantic BirdTM 2 offers the equivalent of
approximately 1 Gpbs of transatlantic connectivity. It uses the Alcatel
Space Spacebus 3000B2 platform, and will have a mass of approximately 3,120
kg. at launch. The spacecraft has a design lifetime of 12.5 years and will
be positioned at 8 deg. West (above the Gulf of Guinea).
Preparations continue on track for the lift-off of Flight 144 with Atlantic
BirdTM 2 on September 25.
