HYLAS
Encyclopedia
HYLAS, an acronym for Highly Adaptable Satellite, is the name of a small geostationary communications satellite
launched by the European Ariane 5
V198 launch vehicle; the launch took place from the Guyana Space Centre at Kourou
in French Guyana. It will be at 33.5W
and will provide new and innovative services including High Definition Television (HDTV) and interactive satellite delivered broadband services. The satellite will help address the issue of poor broadband coverage in many parts of Europe which have less developed ground infrastructure..
HYLAS is being constructed by EADS Astrium
for the UK telecommunications company Avanti Communications Plc. Development of the satellite is being supported by a £23m investment from the British National Space Centre
(BNSC
).
HYLAS is based on the Indian Space Research Organisation
's I-2K small satellite platform under a cooperative arrangement between EADS Astrium and ISRO/Antrix.
The HYLAS payload will carry two Ku band
transponders, intended mainly for HDTV, and six Ka band
transponders feeding up to eight Spotbeams, allowing the provision of between 150,000 and 300,000 simultaneous broadband Internet connections. The HYLAS satellite will have a launch mass of around 2100 kg and a beginning-of-life power of 3.5 kW.
launch vehicle. The purchase, in September 2007, made Avanti the first customer to purchase a commercial geostationary launch from SpaceX
. In July 2009 Arianespace
announced that HYLAS would instead be launched in 2010, "using an Ariane 5 or Soyuz launcher" from Arianespace. Avanti had previously criticized Arianespace as being overly expensive, but a move to Arianespace was motivated by prospective customers' concerns about launch risks associated with Falcon 9. Also, additional financial assets became available, including 10.7 million pounds from British contributions ESA's Artes telecommunications development program.
HYLAS successfully launched at 18:41 GMT on the 26 November 2010 by Ariane 5
.
Communications satellite
A communications satellite is an artificial satellite stationed in space for the purpose of telecommunications...
launched by the European Ariane 5
Ariane 5
Ariane 5 is, as a part of Ariane rocket family, an expendable launch system used to deliver payloads into geostationary transfer orbit or low Earth orbit . Ariane 5 rockets are manufactured under the authority of the European Space Agency and the Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales...
V198 launch vehicle; the launch took place from the Guyana Space Centre at Kourou
Kourou
Kourou is a commune in French Guiana, an overseas region and department of France located in South America.Kourou is the location of the Guiana Space Centre, France and ESA's main spaceport.-Geography:...
in French Guyana. It will be at 33.5W
and will provide new and innovative services including High Definition Television (HDTV) and interactive satellite delivered broadband services. The satellite will help address the issue of poor broadband coverage in many parts of Europe which have less developed ground infrastructure..
HYLAS is being constructed by EADS Astrium
EADS Astrium
Astrium Satellites is one of the three business units of Astrium, a subsidiary of EADS. It is a European space manufacturer involved in the manufacture of spacecraft used for science, Earth observation and telecommunication, as well as the equipment and subsystems used therein and related ground...
for the UK telecommunications company Avanti Communications Plc. Development of the satellite is being supported by a £23m investment from the British National Space Centre
British National Space Centre
The British National Space Centre was a British government body that coordinated civil space activities for the UK. It was replaced on 1 April 2010 by the UK Space Agency.-Structure:...
(BNSC
British National Space Centre
The British National Space Centre was a British government body that coordinated civil space activities for the UK. It was replaced on 1 April 2010 by the UK Space Agency.-Structure:...
).
HYLAS is based on the Indian Space Research Organisation
Indian Space Research Organisation
The Indian Space Research Organisation is an independent Indian governmental agency established in 1969 for the research and development of vehicles and activities for the exploration of space within and outside of Earth’s atmosphere. Headquartered in Bangalore...
's I-2K small satellite platform under a cooperative arrangement between EADS Astrium and ISRO/Antrix.
The HYLAS payload will carry two Ku band
Ku band
The Kμ band is a portion of the electromagnetic spectrum in the microwave range of frequencies. This symbol refers to —in other words, the band directly below the K-band...
transponders, intended mainly for HDTV, and six Ka band
Ka band
The Ka band covers the frequencies of 26.5–40 GHz. The Ka band is part of the K band of the microwave band of the electromagnetic spectrum. This symbol refers to "K-above" — in other words, the band directly above the K-band...
transponders feeding up to eight Spotbeams, allowing the provision of between 150,000 and 300,000 simultaneous broadband Internet connections. The HYLAS satellite will have a launch mass of around 2100 kg and a beginning-of-life power of 3.5 kW.
Launch
Avanti purchased for HYLAS a launch to geostationary transfer orbit (GTO) on a Falcon 9Falcon 9
Falcon 9 is a rocket-powered spaceflight launch system designed and manufactured by SpaceX. Both stages of its two-stage-to-orbit vehicle use liquid oxygen and rocket-grade kerosene propellants...
launch vehicle. The purchase, in September 2007, made Avanti the first customer to purchase a commercial geostationary launch from SpaceX
SpaceX
Space Exploration Technologies Corporation, or more popularly and informally known as SpaceX, is an American space transport company that operates out of Hawthorne, California...
. In July 2009 Arianespace
Arianespace
Arianespace SA is a French company founded in 1980 as the world's first commercial space transportation company. It undertakes the production, operation, and marketing of the Ariane 5 rocket launcher as part of the Ariane programme....
announced that HYLAS would instead be launched in 2010, "using an Ariane 5 or Soyuz launcher" from Arianespace. Avanti had previously criticized Arianespace as being overly expensive, but a move to Arianespace was motivated by prospective customers' concerns about launch risks associated with Falcon 9. Also, additional financial assets became available, including 10.7 million pounds from British contributions ESA's Artes telecommunications development program.
HYLAS successfully launched at 18:41 GMT on the 26 November 2010 by Ariane 5
Ariane 5
Ariane 5 is, as a part of Ariane rocket family, an expendable launch system used to deliver payloads into geostationary transfer orbit or low Earth orbit . Ariane 5 rockets are manufactured under the authority of the European Space Agency and the Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales...
.