AM3 and Star One C1 to graveyard orbits
June 14, 2022
By Chris Forrester
Russia’s Express AM3 (officially Экспресс-АМ3/Ekspress-AM3) communications satellite has been moved to a ‘graveyard’ high orbit and safely away from the normal orbital heights of fellow-geostationary satellites. The craft was operated by Russian Satellite Communications Company (RSCC).
Express AM3 was built by Information Satellite Systems Reshetnev (NPO PM) for Kosmicheskaya Svyaz. The communications payload was built by the French company Alcatel Space. The launch took place on 24 June 2005 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan. The satellite has more than exceeded its design life which was initially just 12 years. It operated from 140 degrees East.
Star One C1 has also been moved. This satellite was Brazilian owned and launched on November 14th 2007 by an Ariane 5ECA carrier rocket, as part of a dual-payload launch with UK military craft Skynet 5B. It was built by Thales Alenia Space, based on the Spacebus-3000B3 satellite bus. It is operated by Star One, a subsidiary of Embratel.
Embratel’s Star One C1 had 28 C-band transponders and 14 Ku-band transponders at the start of its operational life which at the time was estimated to be for 15 years.