Ekspress-AM8 (Russian: Экспресс-АМ8 meaning Express-AM8) is a Russian communications satellite which was launched in 2015. Part of the Ekspress series of geostationary communications satellites, it is owned and operated by the RSCC Space Communications.
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Names | Экспресс-АМ8 Express-AM8 |
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Mission type | Communications |
Operator | RSCC Space Communications (RSCC) |
COSPAR ID | 2015-048A |
SATCAT no. | 40895 |
Website | eng |
Mission duration | 15 years (planned) 6 years, 8 months and 10 days (in progress) |
Spacecraft properties | |
Spacecraft | Ekspress-AM8 |
Spacecraft type | Ekspress |
Bus | Ekspress-1000H |
Manufacturer | ISS Reshetnev (bus) Thales Alenia Space (payload) |
Launch mass | 2,100 kg (4,600 lb) |
Dry mass | 661 kg (1,457 lb) |
Power | 5.880 kW |
Start of mission | |
Launch date | 14 September 2015, 19:00:00 UTC[1] |
Rocket | Proton-M / Blok DM-03 |
Launch site | Baikonur, Site 81/24 |
Contractor | Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center |
Entered service | 1 December 2015 [2] |
Orbital parameters | |
Reference system | Geocentric orbit |
Regime | Geostationary orbit |
Longitude | 14° West (2015–present) |
Transponders | |
Band | 38 transponders: 24 C-band 12 Ku-band 2 L-band |
Coverage area | Russia, CIS |
Ekspress constellation |
Thales Alenia Space, constructed Ekspress-AM8 payload, and ISS Reshetnev constructed the satellite bus which was based on the Ekspress-1000NTB. The satellite has a mass of 2,100 kg (4,600 lb), provides 5.9 kilowatts to its payload, and a planned operational lifespan of 15 years. The satellite carried 62 transponders: 24 operating in the C-band of the electromagnetic spectrum, 12 in the Ku-band and 2 in the L-band.[2]
The satellite is designed to provide TV and radio broadcasting services, data transmission, multimedia services, telephony, and mobile communications.[2]
Ekspress-AM8 was originally to be launched in 2012 or 2013 into RSCC's 14° West longitude, but was delayed to 2015. It used a Proton-M / Blok DM-03 launch vehicle to be inserted directly into geostationary orbit.[3]
Ekspress satellites | |
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Ekspress |
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Ekspress-A |
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Ekspress-AM | |
Ekspress-AT |
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Ekspress-MD |
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← 2014 · Orbital launches in 2015 · 2016 → | |
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January | |
February | |
March | ABS-3A · Eutelsat 115 West B – WADIS-2 – MMS – Ekspress AM7 – USA-260 / GPS IIF-9 – KOMPSat-3A – IGS-Optical 5 – Soyuz TMA-16M – Galileo FOC-3, FOC-4 – IRNSS-1D – BeiDou I1-S – Gonets-M 11, 12, 13 · Kosmos 2504 |
April | SpaceX CRS-6 (Arkyd-3R · AggieSat 4 · Bevo 2 · Flock-1e × 14) – Thor 7 · SICRAL-2 – TürkmenÄlem 52°E / MonacoSAT – Progress M-27M |
May | Mexsat-1 – USA-261 / X-37 OTV-4 · LightSail-1 · USS Langley · BRICSat-P · ParkinsonSat · GEARRS-2 · AeroCube 8A, 8B · OptiCube 1, 2, 3 – DirecTV-15 · SKY México-1 |
June | Kosmos 2505 / Kobalt-M – Sentinel-2A – Kosmos 2506 / Persona No.3 – Gaofen 8 – SpaceX CRS-7 (Flock-1f × 8) |
July | Progress M-28M – UK-DMC 3 × 3 · CBNT-1 · DeOrbitSail – USA-262 / GPS IIF-10 – Star One C4 · MSG-4 – Soyuz TMA-17M – USA-263 / WGS-7 – BeiDou M1-S, M2-S |
August | HTV-5 / Kounotori 5 (SERPENS · S-CUBE · Flock-2b × 14 · AAUSAT 5 · GOMX 3) – Eutelsat 8 West B · Intelsat 34 – Yaogan 27 – GSAT-6 / INSAT-4E – Inmarsat 5-F3 |
September | Soyuz TMA-18M – MUOS-4 – Galileo FOC-5, FOC-6 – TJSSW-1 – Gaofen 9 – Ekspress AM8 – XY-2 · Tiantuo-3 · ZDPS 2A, 2B · Xiwang-2 × 6 · DCBB · LilacSat-2 · NUDT-Phone-Sat · Xingchen × 4 · NS-2 · Zijing × 2 – Kosmos 2507, 2508, 2509 / Strela-3M × 3 – Pujian-1 · Tianwang 1A, 1B, 1C – Astrosat · LAPAN-A2 · ExactView 9 · Lemur-2 × 4 – BeiDou I2-S – NBN-Co 1A · ARSAT-2 |
October | Progress M-29M – Mexsat-2 – Jilin-1 · Lingqiao A · Lingqiao B · LQSAT – USA-264 / NOSS Intruder × 2 / NROL-55 · AeroCube-5c, 7 · SNaP-3 × 3 · PropCube × 2 · SINOD-D × 2 · ARC-1 · BisonSat · AMSAT Fox-1 · LMRST-Sat – APStar-9 – Türksat 4B – Tianhui 1C – USA-265 / GPS IIF-11 |
November | Chinasat 2C – HiakaSat · EDSN × 8 · PrintSat · Argus · STACEM · Supernova-Beta – Yaogan 28 – Arabsat 6B · GSAT-15 – Kosmos 2510 / EKS-1 / Tundra-11L – LaoSat-1 – Telstar 12V – Yaogan 29 |
December | LISA Pathfinder – Kosmos 2511 / Kanopus-ST · Kosmos 2512 / KYuA-1 – Cygnus CRS OA-4 (Flock-2e × 12 · CADRE · MinXSS 1 · Nodes × 2 · STMSat 1 · SIMPL) – ChinaSat 1C – Elektro-L No.2 – Kosmos 2513 / Garpun-12L – Soyuz TMA-19M – TeLEOS-1 · VELOX-C1 · Kent Ridge 1 · VELOX 2 · Galassia · Athenoxat-1 – DAMPE – Galileo FOC-8, FOC-9 – Progress MS-01 – Orbcomm-2 × 11 – Ekspress-AMU1 – Gaofen 4 |
Launches are separated by dashes ( – ), payloads by dots ( · ), multiple names for the same satellite by slashes ( / ). Cubesats are smaller. Crewed flights are underlined. Launch failures are in italics. Payloads deployed from other spacecraft are (enclosed in brackets). |