DFS Kopernikus (meaning ''Deutscher Fernmeldesatellit Kopernikus'') was the name of three
geostationary satellites of
Deutsche Bundespost
The Deutsche Bundespost ( German federal post office) was a German state-run postal service and telecommunications business founded in 1947. It was initially the second largest federal employer during its time. After staff reductions in the ...
and later
Deutsche Telekom AG. They are no longer in use.
DFS Kopernicus-3
When DFS Kopernikus-3 was nearing the end of its life,
SES sealed an agreement with Deutsche Telekom to use the 23.5° East position and frequencies, and in August 2001,
Astra 1D was moved there.
["New position for ASTRA 1D"](_blank)
''Advanced Television'' (21 August 2001) Retrieved on 17 April 2021 The
Astra 23.5°E position was officially opened in March 2002 with the launch and positioning of
Astra 3A. Deutsche Telekom contracted for 10 transponders on that craft and shortly switched over all traffic from
DFS Kopernikus-3.
Station keeping
The orbital station-keeping manoeuvres of the satellites were conducted by the Flight Dynamics Group of the
German Aerospace Center
The German Aerospace Center (german: Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e.V., abbreviated DLR, literally ''German Center for Air- and Space-flight'') is the national center for aerospace, energy and transportation research of Germany ...
(DLR), German Space Operations Center, in
Oberpfaffenhofen,
Bavaria
Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total l ...
. The satellites were located at the following positions:
* DFS Kopernikus-1: 23.5° East (1989-1994), later 33.5° East (1994-2002), replaced by
Astra 3A
* DFS Kopernikus-2: 28.5° East (1994–2000?)
*
DFS Kopernikus-3: 23.5° East (1994–2003)
German satellite television market share in 1990
*
SES: ca. 80%
* DFS Kopernikus: ca. 20%
*
TV-SAT 2: under 1%
See also
*
Nicolaus Copernicus
Nicolaus Copernicus (; pl, Mikołaj Kopernik; gml, Niklas Koppernigk, german: Nikolaus Kopernikus; 19 February 1473 – 24 May 1543) was a Renaissance polymath, active as a mathematician, astronomer, and Catholic canon, who formulat ...
*
Astra 23.5°E
*
Astra 3A
References
External links
DFS Kopernikus in GSOCSES fleet information and mapOfficial Astra consumers/viewers' websiteOfficial SES trade/industry site
Kopernikus
Nicolaus Copernicus (; pl, Mikołaj Kopernik; gml, Niklas Koppernigk, german: Nikolaus Kopernikus; 19 February 1473 – 24 May 1543) was a Renaissance polymath, active as a mathematician, astronomer, and Catholic canon, who formulate ...
Deutsche Telekom
{{Germany-stub