 Full scale mockup Alphasat at Le Bourget Airshow 2013 | |
| Manufacturer | Thales Alenia Space EADS Astrium Satellites |
|---|---|
| Country of origin | Europe |
| Applications | Communications satellite bus |
| Specifications | |
| Launch mass | 6,550 kilograms (14,440 lb) |
| Power | up to 22 kW |
| Regime | Geostationary |
| Design life | 15 years |
| Production | |
| Status | In production |
| Built | 1 |
| Launched | 1 |
| Operational | 1 |
| Maiden launch | Inmarsat-4A F4 25 July 2013 |
Alphabus is a family of heavy geostationary communications satellites developed by a joint venture between Thales Alenia Space[1] and EADS Astrium Satellites in France, with support of the Centre national d'études spatiales (CNES), the French space agency and the European Space Agency (ESA).
The Alphabus platform is designed for communications satellites with payload power in the range 12-18 kW. Satellites based on Alphabus will have a launch mass in the range 6 to 8 tonnes, 40% more than the most powerful Spacebus 4000.[2]
In order to cover the mission range in an optimised way, the platform product line includes several options such as electric propulsion, and features scalable resources (solar array, radiators for thermal dissipation, etc.). The platform will be able to accommodate up to 190 high power transponders and large antenna farms, and will have a significant growth potential (22 kW payload power and 9 tonnes launch mass for the extended range).[3]
- ^ "Alphabus development well under way". Thales Alenia Space. 2007-11-23. Archived from the original on 2007-12-08. Retrieved 2008-02-05.
- ^ Spacebus 4000 platform, a Thales Alenia Space document
- ^ "AlphaBus: An Extended European Capability". ESA. 3 July 2009. Archived from the original on 23 December 2009.