The Hispasat 1D spacecraft is encapsulated in the rocket's nose cone. Photo: ILS

The HISPASAT 1D satellite will be located at 30 deg. west orbital window. Hispasat 1D will contribute 28 new Ku band transponders to the system. The fundamental objective of this satellite is to ensure the continuity of the civilian (Ku band) missions of satellites 1A and 1B in the 30 deg. W orbital window, thereby making it easier to consolidate the current customer base given that the lifetimes of satellites 1A and 1B are forecast to end in 2003.

Hispasat 1D satellite (the fleet's fouth satellite) provides an additional growth capacity of 6 transponders with American and transatlantic connection options, which will enable the company to serve a market in which a higher increase in demand is expected as regards the 30º W orbital position.

The decision to incorporate a beam over the Middle East in the coverage provided by the 1D satellite must be highlighted. Using a double hop link, this will give the access to Asian satellites for our American and European customers (and vice versa), thereby achieving what is practically a global connection option.

Alcatel built Hispasat 1D
After an international call for bids, Alcatel Space was once again retained by the Spanish company HISPASAT S.A. to build Hispasat 1D, a powerful telecommunications satellite dedicated to digital television and data transmission.

Alcatel Space was already the contractor for Hispasat 1C, a satellite put into orbit in February 2000 and commissioned immediately.

The Hispasat 1D contract concerns:

• the building of a satellite, ground-deliverable in 23 months,
• the launch campaign,
• the positioning operations,
• orbit tests,
• training ground control station operators,
• the supply of the ground control center necessary to operate the satellite and a satellite simulator.

The new resources will be integrated in the Hispasat ground stations on the sites of Arganda del Rey and La Florida.

A multi-area coverage concept for a very wide market:

Co-located with the Hispasat 1A, 1B and 1C satellites at 30 deg. longitude west on the geostationary orbit, Hispasat 1D will offer pan-European and pan-American multi-area coverage. This coverage will even extend to certain areas of North Africa.

The flexibility offered by the satellite's design will allow users to benefit from intercontinental links between Europe and the Americas.

Hispasat 1D will enable HISPASAT S.A. to provide its clients with a complete range of services: digital T.V. broadcast (including live television), telecommunications, data and video transmission and access to Internet and multimedia services.