Hughes Launches Its First Satellite for Russia
| Customer | BONUM-1 Moscow, Russia |
|---|---|
| Spacecraft | Hughes 376 HP |
| Launch Date Vehicle Site |
Nov. 22, 1998 Delta II Cape Canaveral, Fla. |
| Orbital slot | 36 degrees E |
| Contract life | 11 years |
In October 1997, Hughes Space and Communications International Inc., now a part of Boeing Satellite Development Center, was awarded a contract for its first commercial satellite for Russia. The contract was awarded by BONUM-1, a subsidiary of Media Most, a Moscow-based private Russian media group that develops satellite television broadcasting services for Russia.
The satellite is a high-power version of the Hughes 376, now Boeing 376, spin-stabilized spacecraft, one of the most popular spacecraft models. The satellite was launched onboard a Delta II rocket on Nov. 22, 1998. The delivery in-orbit contract included the satellite, launch vehicle services, and ground satellite control equipment for use at the control center, and training for the satellite controllers. The satellite is operated by the BONUM-1 control station, located in Moscow.
BONUM-1 was the 53rd Hughes 376 to be ordered. It contains eight active Ku-band transponders, which, as a result of digital compression technology, provides up to 50 channels using 80-watt traveling-wave tube amplifiers. BONUM-1 serves European or West-Siberian parts of Russia, selectable on-orbit by ground command.
The Boeing 376 spin-stabilized spacecraft consists of two main sections. One is the spinning section, which contains the apogee kick motor, power system, secondary propulsion, and most of the attitude control and the command and telemetry subsystem elements. The fully redundant subsystem controls and monitors the spacecraft through all mission phases. The secondary propulsion subsystem controls spacecraft orbital velocity, inclination, attitude, and spin speed. The other main section of the spacecraft is the despun portion, which houses the customized communications payload, including the transmitters, receivers and antennas.
All Boeing 376 models have two telescoping cylindrical solar panels. These panels and the deployable antennas are stowed for compactness during launch. The highly reliable design makes full use of a nickel-hydrogen battery to maintain uninterrupted broadcasting during eclipses. The BONUM solar panels use gallium arsenide solar cells similar to those proven on previous HS 376HP spacecraft. The HS 376 design minimizes the number of required mechanisms and has never had a deployment failure.
Boeing Satellite Development Center is the world's leading manufacturer of commercial communications satellites, and is also a major supplier of spacecraft for communications and space exploration to the U.S. government and a builder of weather satellites for the United States and Japan.
BONUM-1 SPECIFICATIONS
| Ku-band | 8 active 80-w TWTAs for DTH |
|---|
| Solar Beginning of life End of life Panels |
1500 watts 1400 watts 2 telescoping cylindrical solar panels with large area gallium arsenide solar cells |
|---|---|
| Batteries | 16-cell, 141 AH NiH |
| Solid apogee motor | Thiokol Star 30C |
|---|---|
| Stationkeeping thrusters N-S (bipropellant) E-W (bipropellant) |
2 x 5 lbf 2 x 5 lbf |
| In orbit | H, deployed: 26 ft 2 in
(7.97 m) W, deployed: 7 ft 1 in (2.17 m) |
|---|---|
| Stowed | H: 10 ft 4 in (3.15 m) W: 7 ft 1 in (2.17 m) |
| Mass Launch In orbit (beginning of life) |
3141 lb (1425 kg) 1747 lb (793 kg) |
|
100" x 80" (2.54 x 2.03 m) diameter shaped surface reflector, with offset feeds Precision antenna pointing system maintains accuracy of better than 0.05 degrees. Two shaped surfaces: One for the left- and right-hand circularlypolarized communications signals One for on-station tracking and command |