GEO Satellites

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GEO Satellite

THOR 3 (THOR III) GEO

succesfull


Launch date

10 June 1998

Position

4° West

Manufacturer

Boeing

Operator

Space Norway (former Telenor Satellite Services)

Launch operator

ULA

Launch vehicle

Delta II

Expected lifetime

12 Years

Region

Middle East Region

Satellite operator Telenor from Norway ordered powerful satellites with Hughes Space and Communications, Inc. (Boeing Defense and Space), to deliver direct-to-home television programming to Scandinavia and northern Europe.

In November 1995, Hughes was awarded the contract for THOR 2, a high-powered version of Hughes’ spin-stabilized HS-376 model. THOR 2 was successfully launched in May 1997. That same month, Telenor the second high-powered HS-376HP satellite,

THOR 3, which was successfully launched on June 10th 1998 from Cape Canaveral on a Delta II launch vehicle, operated by McDonnell Douglas, later to become United Launch Alliance (ULA).

Both contracts required Hughes to provide the spacecraft, launch services on a Delta II (Delta-7925) rocket, earth station upgrades at various sites, including the main site in Nittedal, Norway and training.

Telenor’s three-satellite fleet will deliver television and telephony/data services to Scandinavia and Northern Europe, with western offshore beams to the Faroes, Iceland, and Greenland. THOR 2 and THOR 3 were collocated at Telenor’s Nordic Hot-Bird position at 1° West longitude. THOR 2 covers five zones stretching from Scandinavia across the north Atlantic to Greenland, with the primary zone comprising Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, and the Baltic states. The Ku-band effective isotropic radiated power (EIRP) is 52dBW in the primary zone. THOR 3 will cover three zones stretching from Scandinavia across the north Atlantic to Greenland and into eastern Europe. The EIRP for THOR 3 is 50dBW.

THOR 2 was retired and send to a graveyard orbit in January 2013. THOR 3 is still in operation and has been flying inclined geostationary orbit but has been pointed towards the Middle-East. THOR 3 was replaced by THOR 6 in June 2010.

GEO Satellite

THOR 3 (THOR III)

succesfull


Delta II rocket ready for launch
JCSat-110R/BSAT-3c satellite in orbit

GEO Satellite

THOR 3 (THOR III)

succesfull


GEO Satellite

THOR 3 (THOR III)

succesfull


THOR 3 satellite footprint