SpaceX launches European satellite : Hotbird-13F
By lenwood
Overview
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying a European communications satellite has blasted off in Florida, USA. On October 15, a Falcon 9 rocket successfully launched Eutelsat’s Hotbird-13F satellite into geosynchronous transfer orbit. Built by Airbus, the new satellite weighs about 4.5 tonnes and is designed to last 15 years, providing television broadcast signals covering Europe, North Africa and the Middle East.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 launch vehicle is seen in delayed footage
Falcon 9
Falcon 9
Falcon 9[1] is a partially reuseable medium lift launch vehicle that can carry cargo and crew into Earth orbit, produced by American aerospace company SpaceX.
Falcon 9 is human-rated for transporting NASA astronauts to the ISS. Falcon 9 is certified for the National Security Space Launch program and NASA Launch Services Program as ” Category 3 “, which can launch the most expensive, important, and complex NASA missions.
It is the only U.S. rocket certified for transporting humans to the International Space Station. It is the only commercial rocket to ever launch humans to orbit.
Eutelsat
Eutelsat S.A.[2] is a French satellite operator. Providing coverage over the entire European continent, the Middle East, Africa, Asia and the Americas, it is the world’s third-largest satellite operator in terms of revenues.
Eutelsat’s satellites are used for broadcasting nearly 7,000 television stations, of which 1,400 are in high-definition television, and 1,100 radio stations to over 274 million cable and satellite homes. They also serve requirements for TV contribution services, corporate networks, mobile communications, Internet backbone connectivity and broadband access for terrestrial, maritime and in-flight applications. EUTELSAT is headquartered in Paris, France.
Airbus
Airbus SE[3] is a European multinational aerospace corporation. Airbus designs, manufactures and sells civil and military aerospace products worldwide and manufactures aircraft in Europe and various countries outside Europe. The company has three divisions: Commercial Aircraft ( Airbus S.A.S. ), Defence and Space, and Helicopters, the third being the largest in its industry in terms of revenues and turbine helicopter deliveries. As of 2019, Airbus is the world’s largest airliner manufacturer.
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