23 March 2006
Alphabus – a new European platform
ESA and CNES recently reached a major milestone in the development of the European Alphabus spacecraft bus designed for new-generation telecommunications satellites.

The agreement signed by the two agencies establishes the arrangements for cooperation between ESA and CNES in relation to the development and qualification of a generic line of large platforms, the provision of a flight model and its validation in orbit.
Alphabus is designed for geostationary satellites with a lift-off mass of 6 to 8 t and a payload power of 12 to 18 kW. It will offer lower costs per transponder and reconfigurability, and will initially carry 200 high-power transponders and numerous antennas to meet growing demand from the telecommunications market.
These technology advances will impact our daily lives through:
These technology advances will impact our daily lives through:
- a new generation of mobile broadband services
- digital radio and high-definition TV broadcasting
Europe gears up for the very-high-power satellite market

The new CNES/ESA cooperation agreement specifies that:
- CNES will manage development of the Alphabus line
- ESA will co-fund development of selected European equipment, making it the first client for Alphabus with the provision of a first flight model in 2009.
With Alphabus, spacefaring Europe intends to remain a key player in the world satellite market.