SpaceX Falcon 9 V1.1 - ABS 3A + EUTELSAT 115 West B - Launching March 3, 2015
Screenshot from SpaceX Webcast of the launch of ABS 3A and EUTELSAT 115 West B
Rundown: SpaceX V1.1 - ABS 3A + EUTELSAT 115 West B
Written: January 3, 2021
It’s a two for one kind of deal
In this double header mission, SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket will deliver the ABS 3A and EUTELSAT 115 West B satellites to a supersynchronous transfer orbit. The ABS/Eutelsat-1 launch window is targeted to open at approximately 10:50 pm EST on Sunday, March 1, 2015, from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida.
If all goes as planned, the satellites will be deployed approximately 30 minutes after liftoff.
Hazard map of the debris field from B1014s disintegration during the atmospheric reentry
The Payloads
ABS-3A is a communications satellite that is operated by Asia Broadcast Satellite, providing coverage in the Americas, the Middle East, and Africa, as well as globally for TV distribution, cellular services, and maritime services. The satellite is the first commercial communications satellite in orbit to use electric propulsion, providing a significant weight savings.
Why the two apparently identical satellites have different weights lies in the numbers of transponders. The lighter ABS-3A only has 7 transponders, and Eutelsat 115 West B has a whopping 46 transponders. Vive la difference.
The satellite was designed and manufactured by Boeing, and is a Boeing 702SP model communication satellite. It will be located at 3 degrees West longitude. It was launched on board a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on March 3, 2015 at 03:50:00 UTC.
The satellite is propelled solely by electrically powered spacecraft propulsion, with the on-board thrusters used for both geostationary orbit insertion and station keeping.
The satellite is based on the Boeing 702 satellite bus, and was launched along with Eutelsat 115 West B, which is based on the same bus. The satellite had a launch mass of 4,307 pounds (1,954 kg).
The satellite utilizes three C-band beams and four Ku-band beams. The C-band beams will cover the Americas, Middle East, and Africa. Additionally, the C-band can be used globally. The Ku-band beams will cover Europe, Middle East, North Africa, and South Africa, as well as providing further coverage of America.
Satellite split in Power/Propulsion Bus and Antenna/Transponder Payload
Eutelsat 115 West B (previously SATMEX 7) is a communications satellite that is operated by Eutelsat, providing video, data, government, and mobile services for the Americas. The satellite was designed and manufactured by Boeing Space Systems, and is a Boeing 702SP model communication satellite. It is located at 115 degrees west longitude. It was launched on board a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on 2 March 2015 (22:50 EST).
The satellite is solely propelled by electrically powered spacecraft propulsion, with the onboard thrusters used for both geostationary orbit insertion and station keeping.
Equipped with 12 C-band and 34 Ku-band transponders connected to four service areas, EUTELSAT 115 West B will extend reach of the Americas to markets in Alaska and Canada, replacing the EUTELSAT 115 West A satellite that operates in inclined orbit at 114.9° West. The new satellite will focus on serving clients providing data services, including broadband access, cellular backhaul, VSAT solutions and social connectivity.
The satellite had a launch mass of 4,861 pounds (2,205 kg). It is notable for being the first commercial communications satellite in orbit to use electric propulsion, providing significant weight savings. Eutelsat 115 West B was launched with another Boeing 702SP satellite, ABS-3A, on the same rocket.
Eutelsat 115 West B is planned to be the first in a family of four satellites in the Eutelsat constellation. The satellite was scheduled for entry into service in November 2015, but entered service a month earlier than expected, in October 2015.
The sister-satellite 702SP from the same launch—ABS-3A—became fully operational as a geosynchronous communications satellite by 10 September 2015 after a handover from Boeing to ABS for on-orbit operations on 31 August 2015, approximately one month earlier than planned. A press release on 15 October 2015 stated that Eutelsat 115 West B has started providing service.
There is LOX tank views at 22:14 - 22:47 - 23:55 - 25:59
The bottom LOX bulkhead is divided in eight parts with reinforcement beams between them. On the sides there are a number of baffle walls to prevent sloshing of the LOX, and there are three COPV tanks used for either Helium or Nitrogen gas storage.
Pay attention to the fact that there is room for a fourth COPV and they are placed near the bottom of the LOX tank. In the CRS-7 inflight failure such a COPV tank broke loose in a fully loaded LOX tank, and being buoyant - lighter than the liquid Oxygen it rammed the top LOX tank bulkhead thus denting it or even breaking it.
You see the LOX vibrate during acceleration, the LOX at a lower level being used, or you see the LOX becoming more and more weightless. This is a rare treat to us from SpaceX, who usually doesn’t show the technical camera views to other than the flight engineers.
In the previous mission DSCOVR there is an even rarer view of a 1st stage RP-1 tank.
