NSS-8
Encyclopedia
NSS-8 was a Dutch
telecommunications satellite that was destroyed during launch. It was a Boeing 702
spacecraft with 56 C-band
and 36 Ku-band
transponders, and it was part of the SES NEW SKIES
.
The satellite, which was insured, was destroyed when the rocket that was launching it exploded. The rocket was a Zenit 3SL being launched by Sea Launch
from its Ocean Odyssey
launch pad. The launch attempt occurred at 23:22 GMT on 30 January 2007. "There was an explosion as we were lifting off," said Paula Korn, a spokeswoman for Sea Launch.
NSS-8 was designed to support a wide range of functions, including broadcast applications, government and military operations, corporate communications and Broadband Internet services. When placed in its final orbital position (57° E), the satellite would have provided coverage to two-thirds of the planet, serving countries in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, the Indian subcontinent and Asia.
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...
telecommunications satellite that was destroyed during launch. It was a Boeing 702
Boeing 702
Boeing 702 is a communications satellite design. The Boeing Satellite Development Center tailors the payload of each Boeing 702 to meet customer specifications based on a modular design but with usually more than seventy transponders....
spacecraft with 56 C-band
C band
The C band is a name given to certain portions of the electromagnetic spectrum, including wavelengths of microwaves that are used for long-distance radio telecommunications. The IEEE C-band - and its slight variations - contains frequency ranges that are used for many satellite communications...
and 36 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, and it was part of the SES NEW SKIES
SES NEW SKIES
SES World Skies—formerly SES New Skies, New Skies Satellites , and SES Americom—is a Dutch operator of communications spacecraft, owned by SES.On 30 November 1998, several former Intelsat satellites were transferred to New Skies’ control...
.
The satellite, which was insured, was destroyed when the rocket that was launching it exploded. The rocket was a Zenit 3SL being launched by Sea Launch
Sea Launch
Sea Launch is a spacecraft launch service that uses a mobile sea platform for equatorial launches of commercial payloads on specialized Zenit 3SL rockets...
from its Ocean Odyssey
Ocean Odyssey
|-External links:*...
launch pad. The launch attempt occurred at 23:22 GMT on 30 January 2007. "There was an explosion as we were lifting off," said Paula Korn, a spokeswoman for Sea Launch.
NSS-8 was designed to support a wide range of functions, including broadcast applications, government and military operations, corporate communications and Broadband Internet services. When placed in its final orbital position (57° E), the satellite would have provided coverage to two-thirds of the planet, serving countries in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, the Indian subcontinent and Asia.
See also
- Sea LaunchSea LaunchSea Launch is a spacecraft launch service that uses a mobile sea platform for equatorial launches of commercial payloads on specialized Zenit 3SL rockets...
- 2007 in spaceflight