Star One C3

Star One C3 is a Geostationary Communications Satellite of operator Star One S.A. of Brazil with Orbital Sciences being the primary contractor. The spacecraft is based on Orbital’s flight proven Star-2.4 Satellite Bus. The vehicle is equipped with 28 active C-Band Transponders for coverage of South America and 16 Ku-Band Transponders operating at 72MHz with six switchable channels between Brazil and Andean Coverage.

Payload power is about 5 kilowatts. The satellite features two 2.3-meter deployable reflectors and a single 1.4-meter Earth deck-mounted antenna. The satellite has a liftoff mass of about 3,200kg and features two deployable Gallium-Arsenide Solar Arrays and to Li-Ion batteries. The vehicle is three-axis stabilized with a zero-momentum system. An IHI BT-4 propulsion system will be used for orbit adjustments and maintenance.

BT-4 was developed by IHI Aerospace, Japan and has a dry mass of 4 kilograms and a length of 0.65 meters. The engine provides 450 Newtons of Thrust and uses Hydrazine and Mixed Oxides of Nitrogen as propellants. The satellite will operate from an orbital slot between 75 and 84 degrees West. The expected satellite lifetime is 15 years.