Article Posted on : - Nov 25, 2009

An artist's concept of Eutelsat W7 satellite.

MOSCOW (BNS): Russian carrier rocket Proton-M successfully placed in orbit European satellite Eutelsat W7 on Wednesday, the federal space agency Roscosmos said.

The satellite was launched from the Baikonur space centre in Kazakhstan on Tuesday evening after being delayed for a day.

“...at 02:32, Moscow time, the W-7 spacecraft detached from the Briz-M upper stage. The satellite will take the control point of 36 degrees East longitude on the geostationary orbit,” Itar-Tass quoted a Roscosmos official as saying.

Eutelsat W7 is a communication satellite designed to provide digital broadcasting services in Europe, including Russia, Africa, Central Asia and the Middle East.

The estimated lifespan of the 5.5 ton satellite in orbit is 15 years.

Manufactured by Thales Alenia Space, Eutelsat W7 is equipped with up to 74 Ku-band transponders. After being operational, it will replace Eutelsat satellite operator's existing group of SESAT 1 satellites, which has been in orbit since 2000.