Astra 2F
| Company type | Communications satellite |
|---|---|
| Industry | Satellite communications |
| Founded | September 28, 2012 |
| Founder | SES S.A. |
| Headquarters | Luxembourg , Luxembourg |
Area served | Europe, Africa |
| Owner | SES S.A. |
| Parent | SES S.A. |
Astra 2F is a communications satellite within the Astra fleet, owned and operated by SES S.A.. It was launched in September 2012 and positioned at the Astra 28.2°E orbital slot. This satellite provides both free-to-air and encrypted direct-to-home (DTH) digital television as well as satellite broadband services throughout Europe and Africa.
As the initial unit in a trio of "second generation" satellites, Astra 2F replaces the original Astra 2A, Astra 2B, and Astra 2D satellites located at 28.2° East. Its successors, Astra 2E and Astra 2G, were launched in 2013 and 2014 respectively. The satellite was built by Astrium (now known as Airbus Defence and Space) in Stevenage, United Kingdom. Its construction process was documented in the BBC2 series How To Build... A Satellite.
The launch took place on 28 September 2012 at 21:18:07 UTC from the Centre Spatial Guyanais in French Guiana, utilizing an Ariane 5ECA launch vehicle. After completing in-orbit verification at 43.5° East, Astra 2F began commercial operations at its designated 28.2° East location on 21 November 2012.
Market
Since its establishment in 1998, the Astra 28.2° East orbital position has been a key provider of digital television, radio, and multimedia content mainly targeting the United Kingdom and Ireland. Astra 2F continues this legacy by supplanting Astra 2A, 2B, 2D, and 1N satellites, serving nearly 13 million satellite households alongside over 3 million cable subscribers and approximately 700,000 IPTV users within these territories. Prominent customers include leading UK digital satellite platforms such as BSkyB and Freesat.
Furthermore, Astra 2F plays a vital role in supporting expanding direct-to-home (DTH) services in West Africa, notably platforms like Multi TV in Ghana. It also facilitates SES Broadband’s inaugural commercial Ka-band satellite internet service across Europe, delivering high-speed connectivity (up to 20 Mbit/s), VoIP capabilities, and IPTV since November 2012.
Broadcasting footprint
Equipped with three Ku-band downlink beams, Astra 2F covers regions across Europe and Africa. The Europe Beam is centered around the English Channel, providing robust signals receivable with 40 cm dishes throughout the UK, Ireland, France, Benelux countries, portions of Germany, Austria, Spain—including a coverage lobe for the Canary Islands (where dishes of approximately 120 cm are standard but reception often possible with 90 cm)—and extends to North Africa, Poland, and the Balkans where larger antennas are necessary.
The UK Beam offers peak signal strength over the UK, Ireland, Benelux, and northern France, closely mirroring the footprint of its predecessor Astra 2D. This focused coverage results in some reception challenges within Spain due to rapid signal attenuation; eastern regions of Spain benefit from stronger signals likely originating from an off-axis beam.
The West Africa beam supports reception using approximately 60 cm dishes across southern West Africa from Senegal to Nigeria. It also delivers reduced coverage reaching into the Democratic Republic of the Congo where larger antennas are required.
The Ka-band broadband footprint encompasses western Europe comprehensively—from the UK and France in the west extending eastward to the Czech Republic, Austria, Croatia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina—enabling SES’s satellite broadband offerings.
Active transponders
Below is a compilation of TV channels transmitted to Europe via active transponders aboard Astra 2F :
See also
- 2012 in spaceflight
- SES satellite provider
- Astra satellite series
- Astra 28.2°E orbital slot
- Astra 2E satellite sharing the same location
- Astra 2G satellite sharing the same location