Eutelsat Hot Bird™ 7A launch rescheduled for 9 March

Following the postponement of the launch on Friday, 24 February, 2006, Alcatel Alenia Space has performed a complete verification of the telemetry signal system of Eutelsat's Hot Bird™ 7A satellite.

As a result the satellite was confirmed to be in perfect health and ready for launch. The launch is now scheduled during the night of Thursday, March 9, 2006, as soon as possible within the launch window of 2206-2313 UTC.

Hot Bird™ 7A pioneers a new generation of satellites at 13 degrees East. The satellite will primarily deliver television broadcasting to cable and DTH homes throughout Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. And, with slightly larger antennas, Hot Bird™ 7A signals can be received as far east as Moscow and Dubai.

With 38 Ku-band transponders, Hot Bird™ 7A's prime mission is to replace Hot Bird™ 1, which has provided more than a decade of excellent service at 13 degrees East.

The satellite's expanded, very flexible capacity is also available for potential back-up and replacement capacity for the Hot Bird™ 2, 3 and 4 satellites.

In addition to TV and radio broadcasting, Hot Bird™ 7A also provides interactive and multimedia services throughout its extensive coverage area.

Source: Media Network, Eutelsat

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