Eutelsat 8 West B

Eutelsat 8 West B is a geostationary satellite dedicated to communications, managed by Eutelsat, delivering direct-to-home (DTH) broadcast services from the orbital position of 8° West. This satellite, integrated into Eutelsat's fleet, was commissioned in October 2012 and built on the Spacebus-4000C3 platform by Thales Alenia Space.

Satellite description

With a launch mass of , Eutelsat 8 West B is designed to operate for 15 years. It is equipped with an S400-12 apogee thruster for orbit insertion maneuvers and an S10-18 propulsion system for maintaining its orbital slot. The payload includes 50 transponders—10 operating in the C-band and 40 in the Ku-band—enabling coverage across South America, Africa, and the Middle East.

Launch

The satellite was deployed aboard an Ariane 5ECA rocket from the Guiana Space Centre located in Kourou, French Guiana at precisely 20:34:08 UTC on 20 August 2015. The launch, executed by Arianespace, successfully delivered the spacecraft into a geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO).

Mission

Following deployment, Eutelsat 8 West B utilized its apogee motor to achieve its geostationary position at 8° West longitude. The transponder capacity leased by Nilesat is commercially offered under the designation Nilesat 104B.