Astra 3A
Encyclopedia
Astra 3A is a communications satellite
owned and operated by SES Astra
, launched in 2002 to the Astra 23.5°E
orbital slot providing digital television and radio for DTH and cable, multimedia and interactive services, corporate networks, and occasional and other business services to central Europe.
The satellite provides two broadcast beams, of horizontal and vertical polarisation, across two footprint
s that cover essentially the same areas of Europe – principally the countries of central Europe.
TV signals can be received with a 50 cm dish across Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, Holland, Luxembourg, the Czech Republic, and most of Denmark, and in parts of France, Italy, Poland, Slovenia, and Slovakia, with reception on a 110 cm dish as far afield as Scotland, Sweden and Serbia.
In addition to contribution feeds and individual TV channels, Astra 3A carries pay-TV networks including Kabel Deutschland
(Germany
), CanalDigitaal (Netherlands
), CS Link (Czech Republic
) and Skylink (Slovakia
and Czech Republic
)..
Astra 3A was launched to provide follow-on capacity to replace the DFS-Kopernikus 3 satellite and deliver additional capacity for the Benelux countries and central Europe, to create SES-Astra’s second major European satellite hotspot after Astra 19.2°E
with access to channels at both positions using a single dish fitted with a monoblock
Duo LNB
.
Communications satellite
A communications satellite is an artificial satellite stationed in space for the purpose of telecommunications...
owned and operated by SES Astra
SES Astra
Astra is the name for the geostationary communication satellites, both individually and as a group, which are owned and operated by SES S.A., a global satellite operator based in Betzdorf, in eastern Luxembourg. The name is sometimes also used to describe the channels broadcasting from these...
, launched in 2002 to the Astra 23.5°E
Astra 23.5°E
Astra 23.5°E is the name for the group of communications satellites co-located at the 23.5° east position in the Clarke Belt owned and operated by SES Astra, a subsidiary of SES based in Betzdorf, Luxembourg...
orbital slot providing digital television and radio for DTH and cable, multimedia and interactive services, corporate networks, and occasional and other business services to central Europe.
The satellite provides two broadcast beams, of horizontal and vertical polarisation, across two footprint
Footprint (satellite)
The footprint of a communications satellite is the ground area that its transponders offer coverage, and determines the satellite dish diameter required to receive each transponder's signal...
s that cover essentially the same areas of Europe – principally the countries of central Europe.
TV signals can be received with a 50 cm dish across Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, Holland, Luxembourg, the Czech Republic, and most of Denmark, and in parts of France, Italy, Poland, Slovenia, and Slovakia, with reception on a 110 cm dish as far afield as Scotland, Sweden and Serbia.
In addition to contribution feeds and individual TV channels, Astra 3A carries pay-TV networks including Kabel Deutschland
Kabel Deutschland
-Company:Kabel Deutschland operates in 13 of the 16 states . In 2006, of the 15.4 million households passed by their cable the company served 9.6 million, however only one third of these are direct customers of Kabel Deutschland, since especially in large apartment complexes the in-house cable...
(Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
), CanalDigitaal (Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
), CS Link (Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
) and Skylink (Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
and Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
)..
Astra 3A was launched to provide follow-on capacity to replace the DFS-Kopernikus 3 satellite and deliver additional capacity for the Benelux countries and central Europe, to create SES-Astra’s second major European satellite hotspot after Astra 19.2°E
Astra 19.2°E
Astra 19.2°E is the name for the group of communications satellites co-located at the 19.2°East orbital position in the Clarke Belt that are owned and operated by SES Astra, a subsidiary of SES based in Betzdorf, Luxembourg....
with access to channels at both positions using a single dish fitted with a monoblock
Monoblock LNB
A Monoblock LNB is a type of Low-noise block converter used in communications satellite reception. This dual LNB is the simplest solution to achieve multifeed reception for two satellites....
Duo LNB
Duo LNB
A Duo LNB is a double low noise block-downconverter developed by SES Astra for the simultaneous reception of satellite television signals from both the Astra 23.5°E and Astra 19.2°E satellite positions....
.
See also
- Astra 1EAstra 1EAstra 1E is a communications satellite owned and operated by SES Astra, and launched in 1995 to the Astra 19.2°E orbital slot to provide digital television and radio for DTH across Europe....
co-located satellite - Astra 23.5°EAstra 23.5°EAstra 23.5°E is the name for the group of communications satellites co-located at the 23.5° east position in the Clarke Belt owned and operated by SES Astra, a subsidiary of SES based in Betzdorf, Luxembourg...
orbital position - SES AstraSES AstraAstra is the name for the geostationary communication satellites, both individually and as a group, which are owned and operated by SES S.A., a global satellite operator based in Betzdorf, in eastern Luxembourg. The name is sometimes also used to describe the channels broadcasting from these...
satellite owner - DFS-Kopernikus previous position holder
External links
- SES guide to receiving Astra satellites
- SES guide to channels broadcasting on Astra satellites
- OnAstra - Official consumers/viewers' site
- SES - Official trade/industry site
- Astra 3A Horizontal beam footprint on SatBeams
- Astra 3A Vertical beam footprint on SatBeams