ArianespaceAriane 44LAriane Launch Area 2, Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana
Eutelsat W2 & Sirius 3
Launched
October 5, 1998
Image: ESA
Summary
Eutelsat W2 & Sirius 3 launched on an Arianespace Ariane 44L from Ariane Launch Area 2, Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana on October 5, 1998. It was Arianespace's 109th launch, 7th this year and humanity's 4,268th orbital launch attempt. It was the 26th Ariane 44L flight and the 1st this year. The payload was bound for Geostationary Orbit (Direct-GEO). Eutelsat W2, one of 4 catalogued objects, reached a 285 × 36,986 km orbit inclined 6.9°. 4 objects from this launch are catalogued, 2 of them payloads.
- Watch
- No webcast on record.
- Vehicle
- Ariane 44L · Arianespace
- Booster
- No booster details on record.
- Mission
- Communications · Geostationary Orbit (Direct-GEO)
- Milestone
- 26th Ariane 44L flight · 1st this yearArianespace's 109th launch7th this yearhumanity's 4,268th orbital launch attempt61st orbital launch attempt this year
Flight preview
Orbit: as tracked
Eutelsat W2 · NORAD 25491 · 1998-056 · Space-Track · tracking 1 of 4 objects
Show the numbers for orbit elements
- Object
- EUTELSAT W2
- Object ID
- 1998-056A
- Epoch
- 1998-10-05 18:07:01 UTC
- Mean motion
- 2.19547894 rev/day
- Eccentricity
- 0.7338263
- Inclination
- 6.902°
- Ascending node
- 175.9703°
- Arg. of perigee
- 177.6157°
- Mean anomaly
- 195.0354°
- Element set
- 999
- Rev at epoch
- 0
- B*
- 0
Perigee, apogee and period are Kepler figures from the catalogued mean elements, not a propagated state. Published orbit: Direct-GEO. Ascent drawn from padside's representative profile.
Catalogued objects
4 catalogued: 2 payloads, 1 rocket stage, 1 component; 1 still in orbit
- Eutelsat W2 · NORAD 25491
- Sirius 3 · NORAD 25492 · in orbit
Ariane H10-3 V111 · re-entered July 8, 2012
Data from J. McDowell, planet4589.org
About this launch
The W satellites are designed to provide telecommunications services primarily over Europe (Eutelsat W2, W3 and W5) and communication services over Russia and Africa (W4). W2, W3 and W5 are designed to offer 24 transponders at saturation and W4 is designed to provide 31 transponders at saturation. The W satellites have a minimum operational lifetime of 12 years. The spacecraft are based on the Spacebus-3000B2 platform. Sirius 3 provides direct-to-home television services to the Scandinavian region. Hughes upgraded NSAB's satellite control center at Esrange, Kiruna, and provided training to the satellite controllers. Sirius 3 was successfully launched on an Ariane-44L H10-3 on October 5, 1998. The satellite was built at the Integrated Satellite Factory of in El Segundo, Calif.
Pad
Ariane Launch Area 2, Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana
84th launch from Ariane Launch Area 2, 7th this year · 120th from Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana
119 launches from this pad · 336 from Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana
19 days after the previous launch from this pad
All launches from Guiana Space Centre, French GuianaOpen in maps
Questions
When did Eutelsat W2 & Sirius 3 launch?
Eutelsat W2 & Sirius 3 launched on October 5, 1998. The time is known to the hour, not the minute.
Where can I watch Eutelsat W2 & Sirius 3?
No webcast is on record for this launch.
What rocket launched Eutelsat W2 & Sirius 3?
Ariane 44L, flown by Arianespace. Ariane 44L spec sheet
Where did Eutelsat W2 & Sirius 3 launch from?
Ariane Launch Area 2, Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana.
What orbit did Eutelsat W2 & Sirius 3 reach?
Eutelsat W2, one of 4 catalogued objects, reached a 285 × 36,986 km orbit inclined 6.9°.
How many satellites did Eutelsat W2 & Sirius 3 launch?
2 payloads from this launch are catalogued, 1 of them still in orbit (Data from J. McDowell, planet4589.org).