Geostationary
ALPHASAT
Mobile Satellite / Technology Demo · ESA / Inmarsat
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The largest geostationary satellite ever built in Europe when it launched in 2013 — a joint ESA and Inmarsat spacecraft designed to showcase European large satellite technology while providing L-band mobile satellite services. Alphasat carries four technology demonstration payloads from ESA testing laser communication links, navigation augmentation, and radiation monitoring alongside Inmarsat's operational L-band communications. The laser terminal on Alphasat was the first demonstration of operational optical inter-satellite links from GEO, directly leading to the EDRS system.
Its orbit
- Orbit
- Geostationaryappears to hang motionless over one spot on the equator
- Altitude
- 22,232–22,251 mi (35,779–35,809 km)
- Inclination
- 3.0°
- One orbit
- 23.9 hoursabout one orbit a day
- NORAD ID
- 39215
- Int’l designator
- 2013-038A
- Launched
- 2013
Orbital elements from CelesTrak, as of 22 Sep 2026.
More geostationary
- AMAZONAS 2Commercial Communications (Latin America)
- AMAZONAS 3Commercial Communications (Latin America)
- AMAZONAS 4ACommercial Communications (Latin America)
- AMAZONAS 5Commercial Broadband (Latin America)
- AMAZONAS NEXUSCommercial High-Throughput Broadband
- AMC-14North American Communications (Moon-Rescued)