* Astronomy

Astrium Satellites delivers ARABSAT’s BADR-4 in orbit
The BADR-4 satellite built by Astrium Satellites has been handed over to ARABSAT as part of the in-orbit delivery contract and has entered commercial service.

The BADR-4 satellite, built by Astrium Satellites for ARABSAT, the communications satellite operator based in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, will carry Direct-To-Home television services, together with voice and data telecommunications services, across the entire Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, as well as parts of Europe.
The Astrium control centre in Toulouse began operating the BADR-4 satellite following its launch from Baikonur on 9 November 2006. The satellite arrived in geostationary orbit on 13 November, where it was comprehensively tested to ensure that all spacecraft functions were performing as expected. ARABSAT officially took possession of the fully operational satellite on 30 November, just three weeks after the launch.
The entry into commercial service of the first of its 4th generation satellites at ARABSAT's 26 degrees East video 'hot spot' represents the realisation of a critical primary milestone in the regional leading operator's new aggressive deployment strategy over the MENA markets, and well beyond, for the forthcoming 20 years.
Astrium Satellites is prime contractor for the satellite and responsible for launch and early operations as part of the in-orbit delivery contract. Astrium has also developed the Satellite Control Centres in Dirab (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia) and in Tunis (Tunisia). The communications payload for the satellite was supplied by Alcatel Alenia Space.
The BADR-4 satellite is a Eurostar E2000+ model with a launch mass of 3,280 kg, equipped with a payload featuring 32 transponders in Ku-band. It is the 31st Eurostar to enter operational service in orbit.

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A Russian-built Proton Breeze M vehicle provided by International Launch Services (ILS) successfully launched a satellite today that will carry direct-to-home television services, together with voice and broadband services, across the Middle East, North Africa and parts of Europe.
The Proton launcher lifted off at 2:01 a.m. local time in Baikonur (3:01 p.m. Wednesday EST, 20:01 Wednesday GMT). It carried the BADR-4 satellite built by Astrium, which contracted for the launch on behalf of the Arab Satellite Communications Organisation, ARABSAT, headquartered in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

BADR-4 spacecraft target orbit has been achieved and parameters are better than predicted:
Actual: 3155.7 km perigee x 35,830.9 km apogee x 14.173 degrees inclination
Predicted: 3150 km perigee x 35,786 km apogee x 14.2 degrees inclination

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A Proton-M Russian booster rocket, which took off at 2301 Moscow time (20:01 GMT) today from the Baykonur cosmodrome, put the Arabsat-4B communications satellite into a suborbital trajectory.

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-- Edited by Blobrana at 08:39, 2006-11-09

According to Russian space officials a Proton-M rocket has successfully launched the Arabsat 4B satellite and Badr 4 satellite attached to the Breeze-M upper stage, from the Baikonur launch facility in Kazakhstan.



International Launch Services, the launch provider, said the satellite would provide direct-to-home television as well as voice and broadband services across the Middle East, North Africa and parts of Europe.

An ILS Proton M rocket with a Breeze M upper stage will launch the Badr 4 (ARABSAT 4B) spacecraft for the Arab Satellite Communications Organisation, from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, at 20:01 GMT, 8th November.

-- Edited by Blobrana at 10:56, 2006-11-05