Comparison of the TV Sat satellites.
These were high power DBS satellites for West Germany. They were to be co-located at 19°W with the French TDF satellites.
The main satellite comparison index
| Satellite: | 1 | 2 |
| . | . | . |
| Launch | 21 / 11 / 1987 | 8 / 8 / 1989 |
| Launch Location | Kourou | Kourou |
| Launch Mass (kg) | 2144 | 2144 |
| Expected Lifetime (years) | 9 | 9 |
| Power Consumption (watts) | 4500 | 4500 |
| Transponder Capacity at launch | 4 (+ 2 spare) | 4 (+ 2 spare) |
| TWTA Output (watts) | 230 | 230 |
| Transponder Bandwidth (MHz) | 27 | 27 |
| Channels (MHz) | 11700-12500 | 11700-12500 |
| Current Location | junk
orbit (note 1) |
junk
orbit (note 2) |
| Decommission Date | 2 / 1988 | 9 / 1999 |
| Manufacturer / Spacecraft type | Eurosatellite / MBB Spacebus 300 | Eurosatellite / MBB Spacebus 300 |
| Stabilisation type | 3-axis | 3-axis |
Notes
1 Was supposed to slot at 19.2°W. Never entered service due to a technical problem after launch. (One of the solar panels remained in front of the transmission antennas - rumour has it that two bolts were left in place that should have been removed after transportation to the launch site.....!) Decommisioned to junk orbit February 1989. Its still up there - amateur astronomers spotted it flashing as it tumbled slowly as recently as June 2002.
2 Sent to junk orbit at the end of its mission. Now circling forlornly, abandoned, tumbling & unwanted :-( Spotted by amateur astronomers on 24th May 2004 :-)
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