Astra 2A
| Mission type | Communications |
|---|---|
| Operator | SES |
| COSPAR ID | 1998-050A |
| SATCAT no. | 25462 |
| Website | https://www.ses.com/ |
| Mission duration | 15 years (planned) Final: 26 years and 9 months |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft type | Boeing 601 |
| Bus | HS-601HP |
| Manufacturer | Hughes Space and Communications |
| Launch mass | 3,635 kg (8,014 lb) |
| Power | 6 kW |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 30 August 1998, 00:31:00 UTC |
| Rocket | Proton-K / DM-03 |
| Launch site | Baikonur, Site 81/23 |
| Contractor | Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center |
| Entered service | October 1998 |
| End of mission | |
| Disposal | Graveyard orbit |
| Deactivated | May 2025 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric orbit |
| Regime | Geostationary orbit |
| Longitude | Astra 28.2°E (1998-2016) 113.5°E (2016-2018) 100°E (2018-2020) Astra 28.2°E (2020-2022) 57.2°E (2022-) |
| Transponders | |
| Band | 32 Ku-band |
| Bandwidth | 33 MHz |
| Coverage area | Europe |
Astra 2A is one of the Astra communications satellites owned by SES. Launched in 1998 into the 28.2° East orbital position, half its expected end-of-life capacity of 28 transponders were pre-booked by BSkyB, who utilised it to launch their new Sky Digital service.