Ekspress-AM4R
Russian communications satellite
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ekspress-AM4R (Russian: Экспресс-АМ4Р meaning Express-AM4R)[3] was a Russian communications satellite intended for operation by the Russian Satellite Communications Company (RSCC). Constructed as a replacement for Ekspress-AM4, which was left unusable after the upper stage of the launch vehicle carrying it malfunctioned, Ekspress-AM4R was also lost due to a launch failure.[4]
Express-AM4R
| Names | Экспресс-АМ4Р Express-AM4R |
|---|---|
| Mission type | Communications |
| Operator | Russian Satellite Communications Company (RSCC) |
| Website | https://eng.rscc.ru/ |
| Mission duration | 15 years (planned) Failed to orbit |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft | Ekspress-AM4R |
| Spacecraft type | Eurostar |
| Bus | Eurostar-3000 |
| Manufacturer | EADS Astrium |
| Launch mass | 5,775 kg (12,732 lb)[1] |
| Dry mass | 1,465 kg (3,230 lb) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 15 May 2014, 21:42:00 UTC[2] |
| Rocket | Proton-M / Briz-M |
| Launch site | Baikonur, Site 200/39 |
| Contractor | Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center |
| Entered service | Failed to orbit |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric orbit (planned) |
| Regime | Geosynchronous orbit |
| Longitude | 80° East |
| Transponders | |
| Band | 63 transponders: 30 C-band 28 Ku-band 2 Ka-band 3 L-band |
| Coverage area | Russia |
Satellite description
Astrium, which had become part of Airbus Defence and Space by the time of the satellite's launch, constructed Ekspress-AM4R, which was based on the Eurostar-3000 satellite bus.[5] It was identical in design to Ekspress-AM4, with a mass of 5,775 kg (12,732 lb) and a planned operational lifespan of fifteen years. The satellite carried sixty-three transponders: thirty operating in the C-band of the electromagnetic spectrum, twenty eight in the Ku-band, two in the Ka-band and three in the L-band. It was to have been the largest and most powerful satellite in the Ekspress constellation.[1]
Launch
Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center was contracted to launch Ekspress-AM4R, using a Proton-M / Briz-M launch vehicle - the same configuration that had failed to deploy Ekspress-AM4. The launch took place from Site 200/39 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, at 21:42:00 UTC on 15 May 2014. Shortly after launch the launch vehicle was reported to have encountered a problem during third stage flight, and as a result the satellite failed to reach orbit.[2]
