HOT BIRD 4, Third HOT BIRD spacecraft launched in 15 months (e. hemi. list)

HOT BIRD 4, designed and manufactured by Matra Marconi Space for EUTELSAT, is scheduled for launch from Kourou in French Guyana, on an Ariane 4 launcher on 27th February 1998.

HOT BIRD 4, the third of a new series of high power television satellites, will broadcast direct to home, cable-head-end or community antennas.  HOT BIRD 2 was launched on 21st November 1996 and HOT BIRD 3 on 1st September 1997.

HOT BIRD 4 is the biggest television satellite ever built in Europe. It is designed for digital transmissions in particular, but also will carry analogue television. Compared to previous generations in the late 80s, the number of repeaters has been increased 5-fold, from 4 to 20, the lifetime has doubled, from 7 to 14 years, and, in addition, digital compression techniques will allow the number of channels per repeater to be increased from one to 8.

With a launch mass of 2.9 tonnes, HOT BIRD 4, its platform as well as its payload, is built entirely by Matra Marconi Space in its facilities in France and the UK. Based on the large 2000 Plus version of the successful EUROSTAR platform, which allows for power levels of up to 6 kW,  it has a lifetime of 14 years. Its performance is particularly suited to the needs of direct broadcast television.

HOT BIRD 4 will carry a payload of 20 Ku-band repeaters at operating frequencies allocated to broadcast and fixed satellite services. These repeaters, with a fixed receive antenna, are equipped with 135 Watts travelling wave tube amplifiers. Two transmit antennas, with 2.3 m diameter deployed dual-gridded shaped reflectors, complete the payload together with a steerable antenna of 50 cm diameter.  The payload also includes the first satellite distribution system for digital TV and multimedia, Skyplex.

HOT BIRD 4 will be located at 13° East on the geostationary orbit, 36,000 km over the equator.

Two fixed transmit beams can be selected in orbit to cover two specific zones:
· the Wide beam will cover the whole of Europe from the Azores in the West to Kazakhstan in the East
· the Superbeam will concentrate power over Europe and North Africa
· the steerable beam allows 8 channels to be positioned over any region of the globe visible from 13° East in both the Northern and Southern hemispheres, giving the operator the ability to offer capacity wherever the market demands.

MATRA MARCONI SPACE, awarded the prime contract for the HOT BIRD 2, 3, 4 and 5 satellites by EUTELSAT, is also the supplier of the communications payload for HOT BIRD 1.
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TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF HOT BIRD 4
Spacecraft Dimensions :
Height : 2.8m, Length : 1.7m, Width : 2.5m, Solar Array Span :  27.9m
Dry mass :  1318 kg, Launch mass :  2885 kg
DC Power / End of life :  5500 W, Design lifetime :  14 years, Orbital position :   13° East
Payload: Mass : 358 kg, Payload Power :  4800 W
Frequency bands :  18/11 and 12 GHz and 14/12.5 GHz
Number of channels :  20 (each channel can broadcast several digital television  programmes)
Channel Bandwidth :  33,36 and 72 MHz, HPA RF Output power : 134 W  
Transmit Antennas: 2 Dual Gridded Shaped Reflectors, Steerable Antenna
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For further information contact  :
MATRA MARCONI SPACE-F             Rémi ROLAND                 (33-1) 34 88 35 78
MATRA MARCONI SPACE-UK         Alistair SCOTT                   (44) 1438 773 698
LAGARDERE                                         Roland SANGUINETTI     (33-1) 40 69 16 74