Ekspress-AM11 (russian: Экспресс-АМ11, meaning ''Express-AM11'') is a Russian
communications satellite
A communications satellite is an artificial satellite that relays and amplifies radio telecommunication signals via a transponder; it creates a communication channel between a source transmitter and a receiver at different locations on Ear ...
. It belongs to the Russian Satellite Communications Company (RSCC) based in
Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
, Russia.
Satellite description
The satellite has a total of 30
transponders, 26
C-band and 4
Ku-band, for the domestic coverage of the Russian Federation.
Launch
Ekspress-AM11 was launched by
, using a
Proton-K
The Proton-K, also designated Proton 8K82K after its GRAU index or SL-12 after its model number, 8K82K, was a Russian, previously Soviet, carrier rocket derived from the earlier Proton. It was built by Khrunichev, and launched from sites 81 an ...
/
DM-02 launch vehicle
A launch vehicle or carrier rocket is a rocket designed to carry a payload (spacecraft or satellites) from the Earth's surface to outer space. Most launch vehicles operate from a launch pads, supported by a launch control center and syste ...
. The launch took place at 23:00:00
UTC on 28 December 2003, from
Site 200/39 at
Baikonur Cosmodrome
''Baiqoñyr ğaryş ailağy'' rus, Космодром Байконур''Kosmodrom Baykonur''
, image = Baikonur Cosmodrome Soyuz launch pad.jpg
, caption = The Baikonur Cosmodrome's " Gagarin's Start" Soyu ...
,
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental coun ...
.
Successfully deployed into
geostationary transfer orbit
A geosynchronous transfer orbit or geostationary transfer orbit (GTO) is a type of geocentric orbit. Satellites that are destined for geosynchronous (GSO) or geostationary orbit (GEO) are (almost) always put into a GTO as an intermediate step f ...
(GTO), Ekspress-AM11 raised itself into an operational geostationary orbit using its
apogee motor
An apogee kick motor (AKM) is a rocket motor that is regularly employed on artificial satellites to provide the final impulse to change the trajectory from the transfer orbit into its final (most commonly circular) orbit. For a satellite la ...
.
Mission
The satellite can be received in Southeast Asia], Australia and the most part of Russia. Ekspress-AM11 was hit on 28 March 2006 by either a micrometeorite or a piece of space debris, which lead to instantaneous depressurization of the thermal control system fluid circuit, followed by a sudden outburst of the heat-carrying agent. This resulted in a significant disturbing moment generation followed by the spacecraft orientation loss and rotation. After regaining control, the satellite was put into a
graveyard orbit
A graveyard orbit, also called a junk orbit or disposal orbit, is an orbit that lies away from common operational orbits. One significant graveyard orbit is a supersynchronous orbit well beyond geosynchronous orbit. Some satellites are moved int ...
.
References
{{Orbital launches in 2004
Ekspress satellites
Spacecraft launched in 2004
2004 in Russia
Satellites using the KAUR bus