Dedicated Missions

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Dedicated Mission

Eutelsat 48D (Eutelsat 28B, W2M, AfghanSat-1) at 48° East


Position

48° East

Regions

Asia Pacific Region
Middle East Region
South America Region

Manufacturer

Airbus Defense & Space

Operator

Eutelsat

Launch operator

Arianespace

Launch vehicle

Ariane 5ECA

Launch date

December 20th, 2008

Expected lifetime

15 Years

The Eutelsat 48D satellite was constructed by EADS Astrium (Airbus Defense & Space) and delivers coverage to Afghanistan and Central Asia.

Located at 48° East, the satellite has been co-branded AfghanSat 1 following an agreement in 2014 between Eutelsat and the Afghanistan Ministry of Communications & Information Technology. It is being used to enhance deployment of Afghanistan’s national broadcasting and telecommunications infrastructure as well as its international connectivity. From the 48° East postion, Afghansat 1 will cover the whole of Afghan’s national territory and a large slice of the Middle-East and Central Asia.

AfghanSat 1 supports a wide range of services including broadcasting, mobile telephony backhaul and IP connectivity, providing access to ICT and broadcast services to Afghans especially in unserved areas.

Eutelsat 48D was launched on December 20th, 2008 in a dual launch with HOTBIRD 9 on an Ariane 5ECA launcher operated by Arianespace. The satellite was formerly operating as Eutelsat 28B/W2M when Eutelsat moved it to 28°East and later Eutelsat 48D when the satellite was moved to 48° East. The satellite provides a wide range of services via eight Ku-band transponders.

Dedicated Mission

Eutelsat 48D (Eutelsat 28B, W2M, AfghanSat-1) at 48° East


Eutelsat 28B test
Ariane 5 ready for launch
Ariane 5 lifts off
Eutelsat 48D in orbit

Dedicated Mission

Eutelsat 48D (Eutelsat 28B, W2M, AfghanSat-1) at 48° East


Dedicated Mission

Eutelsat 48D (Eutelsat 28B, W2M, AfghanSat-1) at 48° East


E48D Ku-band Fixed Downlink
E48D Ku-band Fixed Uplink
E48D Ku-band Steerable Downlink
E65WA Ku-band Brazil Uplink