Ekspress-AM7

Ekspress-AM7 (Russian: Экспресс-АМ7 meaning Express-AM7) is a Russian communications satellite operated by the Russian Satellite Communications Company (RSCC).

Ekspress-AM7

Names	Экспресс-АМ7 Express-AM7
Mission type	Communications
Operator	RSCC
COSPAR ID	2015-012A
SATCAT no.	40505
Website	eng.rscc.ru
Mission duration	15 years (planned) 10 years, 2 months and 7 days (in progress)
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft	Ekspress-AM7
Spacecraft type	Ekspress
Bus	Eurostar-3000
Manufacturer	EADS Astrium
Launch mass	5,720 kg (12,610 lb) [1]
Dry mass	1,439 kg (3,172 lb)
Power	18 kW
Start of mission
Launch date	18 March 2015, 22:05:00 UTC[2]
Rocket	Proton-M / Briz-M
Launch site	Baikonur, Site 200/39
Contractor	Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center
Entered service	April 2015
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Geocentric orbit[3]
Regime	Geostationary orbit
Longitude	40° East (2015–present)
Transponders
Band	62 transponders: 24 C-band 36 Ku-band 2 L-band
Coverage area	Russia, CIS
Ekspress constellation ← Ekspress-AM6 Ekspress-AM8 →

Satellite description

EADS Astrium, was contracted in March 2012, which had become part of Airbus Defence and Space by the time of the satellite's launch, constructed Ekspress-AM7, which was based on the Eurostar-3000 satellite bus.^[4] The satellite has a mass of 5,720 kg (12,610 lb), provides 18 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, 36 in the Ku-band and 2 in the L-band.^[1] It is a replacemt for Ekspress-AM1.^[5]

Launch

Khrunichev was contracted to launch Ekspress-AM7, using a Proton-M / Briz-M launch vehicle - the same configuration that had failed to deploy the similar Ekspress-AM4 and Ekspress-AM4R. The launch took place from Site 200/39 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, at 22:05:00 UTC on 18 March 2015. The satellite was deployed into the planned geostationary transfer orbit (GTO).^[6]

See also

• Spaceflight portal

• Ekspress