HYLAS-2 Commercial Satellite, United Kingdom

HYLAS-2 is a broadcasting satellite, principally used for providing high-power direct-to-home (DTH) and digital broadcasting services to Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The satellite is part of the HYLAS series of highly adaptable satellites. It will be launched into geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO) through the Star-2 platform on the piggyback of an Ariane 5 or Soyuz rocket launch vehicle in early 2012.

HYLAS-2 is designed and developed by Orbital Science Corporation, and will be operated by UK-based telecommunication company, Avanti Communications Plc (Avanti). Avanti awarded a contract to Orbital Science Corporation to manufacture and supply the HYLAS-2 communication satellite in December 2009. The satellite will be manufactured in Dulles, Virginia.

Avanti Communications has raised £86m of funds through equity shares to fund the project. Avanti will pay another £194m to Orbital Science Corporation through the Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im Bank of the US) and COFACE of France, which are acting as the export credit agencies (ECA) for the project.

The Ex-Im Bank of the US will pay £194m to Orbital Science Corporation, while COFACE will act as the guarantor to Avanti.

HYLAS-2 satellite design and development

HYLAS-2 is the 17th satellite to be developed by the Orbital Science Corporation. The satellite has been designed for a lifespan of 15 years. It weighs around 4,000kg at launch and consumes 5kW of power.

The satellite design offers potential solutions for data and voice using small earth stations specifically in Northern and Southern Africa, Eastern Europe and the Middle East.

The satellite has been derived from its predecessor, HYLAS-1, which is a geostationary communication satellite developed by EADS Astrium. HYLAS-1 is planned for launch in the second quarter of 2010 and will be the first super-fast broadband satellite launched in Europe.

HYLAS-2 has the capacity to serve around one million broadband customers. The satellite will provide 8,280MHz of bandwidth, whereas its predecessor HYLAS-1 can offer only 3,000MHz. It will triple the bandwidth capacity upon entering into commercial service following its launch and in-orbit testing. The HYLAS-2 will be able to provide Avanti's customers with more capacity when HYLAS-1 reaches its full bandwidth consumption.

HYLAS-2 satellite communication

HYLAS-2 is a digitally channelised transponded satellite, which enables it to provide communication capacity, connectivity and flexibility.

A total of 24 active Ka-band transponders installed in the satellite can be connected to four gateway beams, namely Northern and Southern Africa, Eastern Europe and the Middle Eastern areas. The satellite will have fixed and steerable beams of high efficiency, principally suited for DTH applications.

The active Ka-band transponders will enable bi-directional communication and alleviate high-speed data transmission to the client's applications such as corporate networking, broadband internet access, business continuity services and video distribution.

Star-2 bus platform

Manufactured by the Orbital Science Corporation, US, the Star-2 is a fully redundant, flight proven satellite bus principally used for geostationary communication. It has been designed to reduce manufacturing cycle times. The satellite bus envisages three important elements, namely mechanical, power and telemetry tracking and command (TTC) subsystems.

The Star-2 bus is equipped with a MIL-STD-1553B flight processor, which processes ground communication. It can accommodate over 500kg of payload and offers more than 5kW of power.

HYLAS-2 satellite launch vehicle

HYLAS-2 will be launched using the Ariane 5 or Soyuz launch vehicle. The satellite will launch from the Guiana Space Centre, Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana.

The Ariane 5 can lift heavy spacecraft and is manufactured by ArianeSpace, France. Soyuz, also manufactured by the same company, is the longest-operating launcher in the world. Soyuz can launch medium-weight spacecraft.

Satellite ground station

The satellite to be launched into orbit can be controlled by four operational centres in Northern and Southern Africa, Eastern Europe and the Middle East, using ground equipment hardware and software. A global satellite configuration and control element (GSCCE) will be used to control and track the satellite using a telemetry tracking and command links (TT&C) system.

The ground control station will be manufactured by Orbital Science Corporation and installed at international customer sites. The TT&C system is a technology primarily used to track and control the satellite when deviating from its orbit. Communication between the satellite and ground station takes place through the bandwidth allocated to service provider.