Launch of Eutelsat 3B. Photo: Eutelsat

[Via Satellite 05-27-2014] Sea Launch successfully placed the Eutelsat 3B satellite into orbit on the Zenit 3SL rocket, launched from the Odyssey Launch Platform in the Pacific Ocean. The rocket released the satellite into Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) after a one hour flight time, and partial deployment of Eutelsat 3B’s solar array was complete within two hours of separation.

The satellite is expected to be in full commercial service by July. It will undergo in-orbit testing once early orbit operations are complete. This was Sea Launch’s third satellite delivered to orbit for Eutelsat, and the company’s 36th launch to date.

Airbus Defence and Space built the satellite using the E3000 platform. It is the first commercial satellite to bring together Ku-, Ka- and C-band payloads within a single platform. This tri-band configuration will allow customers across Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia and Brazil to select their own frequency band.