Eutelsat W2M
| Names | Eutelsat W2M (2008-12) Eutelsat 48B (2012) Eutelsat 28B (2012—2014) Eutelsat 48D (2014—) Leased capacity: Afghansat 1 (2014—) |
|---|---|
| Mission type | Communication |
| Operator |
Eutelsat Leased: MCIT (2014—) |
| Mission duration | 15 years |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Manufacturer |
EADS Astrium ISRO |
| Launch mass | 3,460 kilograms (7,630 lb) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 20 December 2008 |
| Rocket | Ariane 5ECA |
| Launch site | Kourou ELA-3 |
| Contractor | Arianespace |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Geostationary |
| Longitude | 48E |
Eutelsat 48D formerly Eutelsat W2M, Eutelsat 48B and Eutelsat 28B is a French telecommunications satellite. Part of the satellite's capacity is leased to Afghanistan's Ministry of Communications and Information Technology as Afghansat 1(Pashto: افغان سټ یو, Persian: افغان ست یک)
Eutelsat W2M, as it was then named, was originally launched on 20 December 2008 aboard an Ariane 5ECA carrier rocket along with the Hot Bird 9 spacecraft. It was built by EADS Astrium, based on the I-3K satellite bus provided by the Indian Space Research Organisation. It was to have been placed in geosynchronous orbit at 16°E, from where it was to provide communications services to Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East, with 32 NATO J-band (IEEE Ku band) transponders.
In January 2014 the Afghan Ministry of Communications and Information Technology signed an agreement with Eutelsat for the use of satellite resources to enhance deployment of Afghanistan's national broadcasting and telecommunications infrastructure as well as its international connectivity. Eutelsat 48D supports a wide range of services including broadcasting, mobile telephony backhaul and IP connectivity. Commenting on the agreement, Minister Amirzai Sangin said: “AFGHANSAT 1 is a new milestone in the development of the ICT sector in Afghanistan, which in the last 12 years has already seen mobile telephony coverage of 88% and penetration grow from zero to 75% through the licensing of six operators, ICT sector employment provided for more than 138,000 people and more than $2.1 billion invested in the national economy.” AFGHANSAT 1 was officially launched on 10 May 2014, with expected service for at least seven years in Afghanistan. The Afghan government then plans to launch AFGHANSAT 2 after seven years later.
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