Boeing has shipped
the e-BIRD broadband satellite from its Boeing Satellite Systems (BSS)
manufacturing facility in El Segundo, Calif., to the Guiana Space Center in
French Guiana, where it is being prepared for a late August launch.
e-BIRD is the first Boeing satellite ordered by Paris-based Eutelsat S.A.,
one of the world’s leading satellite operators. The spin-stabilized Boeing
376HP satellite will be lifted into orbit by Arianespace aboard an Ariane 5
rocket.
Destined for the 33 degrees East orbital slot, the all-Ku-band satellite
is the first spacecraft optimized for two-way broadband Internet connectivity
for users across a broad region of Europe and Turkey. The satellite carries 20
active transponders and is designed to generate at least 1.6 kilowatts of
power through the end of its 10-year service life.
“e-BIRD is the most sophisticated Boeing 376 built to date, with the most
advanced antenna ever used on a Boeing 376 satellite,” said Dave Ryan,
president of Boeing Satellite Systems International. “Its planned use is a
testament to the versatility of the Boeing 376 satellite design, which has
gone from delivering basic voice telecommunications in its early days to this
Internet application today.”
Introduced in 1980, the Boeing 376 is a versatile, reliable spacecraft
platform that is available in several configurations ranging from 800 to 2,000
watts and up to 24 transponders in C- or Ku-band, or a combination of both.
e-BIRD is the 57th Boeing 376 ordered to date.
The Boeing Company is the world’s leading aerospace company, with its
heritage mirroring the history of flight. It is the largest manufacturer of
satellites, commercial jetliners and military aircraft. The company is also a
global market leader in missile defense, human space flight and launch
services.
