Geostationary
ASTRA 2F
UK Direct-Broadcast Television (28.2°E Sky) · SES Astra
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The primary Astra satellite at 28.2°E, carrying Sky UK's main channel lineup including Sky Sports, Sky News, and Sky One to over 11 million UK subscribers. The 28.2°E position is so associated with Sky UK that British consumers simply call it 'the Sky satellite.' Astra-2F's UK spot beam was deliberately shaped to restrict reception in southern Europe, which caused controversy when British expatriates in Spain found they could no longer receive UK channels — a calculated sacrifice of coverage for rights management.
Its orbit
- Orbit
- Geostationaryappears to hang motionless over one spot on the equator
- Altitude
- 22,232–22,252 mi (35,778–35,811 km)
- Inclination
- 0.1°
- One orbit
- 23.9 hoursabout one orbit a day
- NORAD ID
- 38778
- Int’l designator
- 2012-051A
- Launched
- 2012
Orbital elements from CelesTrak, as of 22 Sep 2026.