Lockheed Martin A2100

The A2100 is a model of communications satellite spacecraft made by Lockheed Martin Space Systems. It is used as the foundation for telecommunications payloads in geosynchronous orbit, as well as GOES-R weather satellites and GPS Block IIIA satellites. Over 40 satellites use the A2100 bus.^[1][2]

History

The first satellite, AMC-1, was launched September 8, 1996, and has achieved 15-year on-orbit service life.^[3][4] Since 1996 there have been over 45 of the A2100 based satellites launched, with over 400 years of total on-orbit service.^[5] Other A2100 spacecraft include JCSAT-13 and VINASAT-2, which were launched May, 2012 on an Ariane 5 rocket,^[6] as well as Arabsat-6A and Hellas Sat 4/SaudiGeoSat-1 of Saudi Arabia's Arabsat-6G program.^[7]

In 2002, Lockheed Martin Commercial Space Systems was given a Frost and Sullivan Satellite Reliability Award for excellence in the production of flexible and reliable communications satellites used in geosynchronous Earth orbit.^[8]

A2100 customers includes communications companies around the world, including Astra, Telesat, SKY Perfect JSAT Group and others.

Design

The Lockheed Martin A2100 geosynchronous spacecraft series is designed for a variety of telecommunications needs including K_a band broadband and broadcast services, fixed satellite services in C-band and K_u band payload configurations, high-power direct broadcast services using the K_u band frequency spectrum, and mobile satellite services using UHF, L-band and S-band payloads.^[9]

The A2100 satellite system was developed by the Astro Space team at its East Windsor, New Jersey facility, with team members delivering a flexible common bus with fewer components, lower spacecraft weight, and reduced customer delivery time.^[10]

The A2100 is being supplanted by the LM2100, an evolutionary upgrade with several new features. The military version is the LM2100 Combat Bus.^[11][12]

Propulsion system

The attitude control system includes reaction wheels,^[13] with momentum desaturation and main motor maneuver attitude control propulsion provided by small monopropellant hydrazine motors. This hydrazine supply is contained in a central propellant tank of 0.90 m diameter and up to 2.00 m length depending on the customer's requirements.^[14] This tank's maximum length was later increased to 2.55 m.^[15] The liquid apogee engine uses hydrazine fuel from the central tank along with nitrogen tetroxide oxidizer from two flanking tanks of 0.54 m diameter and up to 1.65 m long.^[16] Orbit maintenance is performed by the small hydrazine motors and ion thrusters.^[17] The maximum propellant supply (with the largest tanks at 95% fill factor) are 1368 kg of hydrazine fuel and 627 kg of nitrogen tetroxide oxidizer.

According to Moog-ISP, the A2100 platform uses its LEROS bipropellant Liquid Apogee Engine.^[18]

Satellite orders

A2100A

Satellite	Country	Operator	Type	Coverage	Launch date (UTC)	Rocket	Changes	Status
GE-1	United States	SES Americom	Television broadcasting	24 C-band, 24 Ku-band	8 September 1996	Atlas IIA	Known as AMC 1	Active
GE-2	United States	SES Americom	Television broadcasting	24 C-band, 24 Ku-band	30 January 1997	Ariane-44L	Known as AMC 2	Retired
GE-3	United States	SES Americom	Television broadcasting	24 C-band, 24 Ku-band	4 September 1997	Atlas IIAS	Known as Eagle 1	Active
GE-7	United States	SES Americom	Television broadcasting	24 C-band	14 September 2000	Ariane 5G	Known as AMC 7	Retired
GE-8	United States	SES Americom	Television broadcasting	24 C-band	20 December 2000	Ariane 5G	Known as AMC 8 (Aurora 3)	Active
GE-10	United States	SES Americom	Television broadcasting	24 C-band	5 February 2004	Atlas IIAS		Retired
GE-11	United States	SES Americom	Television broadcasting	24 C-band	19 May 2004	Atlas IIAS		Active
GE-18	United States	SES Americom	Television broadcasting	24 C-band	19 May 2004	Ariane 5 ECA		Active
BSAT-3a	Japan	BSAT Corp	Television broadcasting	12 Ku-band	14 August 2007	Ariane 5 ECA		Active
BSAT-3b	Japan	BSAT Corp	Television broadcasting	12 Ku-band	28 October 2010	Ariane 5 ECA		Active
BSAT-3c	Japan	BSAT Corp	Television broadcasting	24 Ku-band	6 August 2011	Ariane 5 ECA		Active
GOES-R	United States	NOAA	Meteorology		19 November 2016	Atlas V 541	Known as GOES 16	Active
GOES-S	United States	NOAA	Meteorology		1 March 2018	Atlas V 541	Known as GOES 17	Active
GOES-T	United States	NOAA	Meteorology		1 March 2022	Atlas V 541	Known as GOES 18	Active
GOES-U	United States	NOAA	Meteorology		2024	Falcon Heavy		Awaiting launch
ABS-7	Bermuda	ABS	Television broadcasting	24 Ku-band, 6 Ka-band	4 September 1999	Ariane-42P	Known as ABS 7	Inclined
Nemesis 1	United States	National Reconnaissance Office	SIGINT, COMINT		8 September 2009	Atlas V 401	Known as PAN, PAN360, USA 207	Active
Nemesis 2	United States	National Reconnaissance Office	SIGINT, COMINT		17 September 2014	Atlas V 401	Known as CLIO, USA 257	Active
Telkom 1	Indonesia	Telkom Indonesia	Communications	24 C-band	12 August 1999	Ariane-42P		Retired
Vinasat-1	Vietnam	VNPT	Communications	8 C-band, 12 Ku-band	18 April 2008	Ariane 5 ECA		Active
Vinasat-2	Vietnam	VNPT	Communications	24 Ku-band	15 May 2012	Ariane 5 ECA		Active
Zhongwei 1	China	China Satcom	Communications	18 C-band, 20 Ku-band	30 May 1998	Long March 3B	Known as APStar 9A	Retired

A2100AX

Satellite	Country	Operator	Type	Coverage	Launch date (UTC)	Rocket	Changes	Status
EchoStar 3	United States	EchoStar	Television broadcasting	32 Ku-band	5 October 1997	Atlas IIAS		Retired
EchoStar 4	United States	EchoStar	Television broadcasting	32 Ku-band	7 May 1998	Proton-K Blok-DM3		Retired
EchoStar 7	United States	EchoStar	Television broadcasting	32 Ku-band	7 May 1998	Atlas IIIB-DEC		Active
GE 1A	United States	SES Americom	Communications	28 Ku-band	1 October 2000	Proton-K Blok-DM3	Known as NSS 11	Active
GE 4	United States	SES Americom	Television broadcasting & satellite internet	24 C-band, 24 Ku-band	13 November 1999	Ariane-44LP	Known as AMC 4	Active
GE 6	United States	SES Americom	Television broadcasting & satellite internet	24 C-band, 24 Ku-band	21 October 2000	Proton-K Blok-DM3	Known as AMC 6 (Rainbow 2)	Active
LMI 1	Bermuda	ABS	Television broadcasting & satellite internet	28 C-band, 16 Ku-band	26 September 1999	Proton-K Blok-DM3	Known as ABS 6	Active
Nimiq 1	Canada	Telesat	Satellite internet	32 Ku-band	20 May 1999	Proton-K Blok-DM3		Active
Nimiq 2	Canada	Telesat	Satellite internet	32 Ku-band	29 December 2002	Proton-M		Active
N-SAT 110	Japan	SKY Perfect JSAT	Satellite internet	24 Ku-band	6 October 2000	Ariane-42L	Known as Superbird 5	Retired

A2100AXS

Satellite	Country	Operator	Type	Coverage	Launch date (UTC)	Rocket	Changes	Status
AMC-14	United States	SES Americom	Television broadcasting	32 Ku-band	14 March 2008	Proton-M Phase 1		Active
AMC-15	United States	SES Americom	Television broadcasting	24 Ku-band, 12 Ka-band	14 October 2004	Proton-M Phase 1		Active
AMC-16	United States	SES Americom	Television broadcasting	24 Ku-band, 12 Ka-band	14 October 2004	Proton-M Phase 1		Retired
Astra 1KR	Luxembourg	SES S.A.	Television broadcasting	32 Ku-band	20 April 2006	Atlas V 431		Active
Astra 1L	Luxembourg	SES S.A.	Television broadcasting	29 Ku-band, 2 Ka-band	4 May 2007	Ariane 5 ECA		Active
EchoStar 10	United States	EchoStar	Television broadcasting	42 Ku-band	15 February 2006	Zenit-3SL		Active
JCSat 9	Japan	SKY Perfect JSAT	Communications	20 C-band, 20 Ku-band, 1 S-band	12 April 2006	Zenit-3SL	Known as JCSat 5A	Active
JCSat 10	Japan	SKY Perfect JSAT	Communications	12 C-band, 30 Ku-band	11 August 2006	Ariane 5 ECA	Known as JCSat 3A	Active
JCSAT-11	Japan	SKY Perfect JSAT	Communications	12 C-band, 30 Ku-band	5 September 2007	Proton-M Phase 1		Launch failure
JCSat 12	Japan	SKY Perfect JSAT	Communications	12 C-band, 30 Ku-band	21 August 2008	Ariane 5 ECA	Known as JCSat RA	Active
JCSat 13	Japan	SKY Perfect JSAT	Communications	44 Ku-band	15 May 2012	Ariane 5 ECA	Known as JCSat 4B	Active
NSS-6	Netherlands	SES S.A.	Satellite internet	50 Ku-band	17 December 2002	Ariane 44L		Active
NSS-7	Netherlands	SES S.A.	Satellite internet	36 C-band, 36 Ku-band	16 April 2002	Ariane 44L		Active
Rainbow-1	United States	EchoStar	Television broadcasting	36 Ku-band	17 July 2003	Atlas V 521	Known as EchoStar 12	Retired
Sirius 4 (Astra 4A)	Sweden	SES Sirius	Communications	52 Ku-band, 2 Ka-band	17 November 2007	Proton-M Phase 1		Active
Garuda 1	Indonesia	Asoa Cellular Satellite	Mobile communications	88 L-band	12 February 2000	Proton-K Blok-DM3		Active

A2100M (Military)

Satellite	Country	Operator	Type	Coverage	Launch date (UTC)	Rocket	Changes	Status
AEHF 1	United States	Air Force Space Command	Military communications		14 August 2010	Atlas V 531	Known as USA 214	Active
AEHF 2	United States	Air Force Space Command	Military communications		4 May 2012	Atlas V 531	Known as USA 235	Active
AEHF 3	United States	Air Force Space Command	Military communications		18 September 2013	Atlas V 531	Known as USA 246	Active
AEHF 4	United States	Air Force Space Command	Military communications		17 October 2018	Atlas V 551	Known as USA 288	Active
AEHF 5	United States	Air Force Space Command	Military communications		8 August 2019	Atlas V 551	Known as USA 292	Active
AEHF 6	United States	Air Force Space Command	Military communications		26 March 2020	Atlas V 551	Known as USA 298	Active
MUOS 1	United States	United States Navy	Military communications		24 February 2012	Atlas V 551		Active
MUOS 2	United States	United States Navy	Military communications		19 July 2013	Atlas V 551		Active
MUOS 3	United States	United States Navy	Military communications		21 January 2015	Atlas V 551		Active
MUOS 4	United States	United States Navy	Military communications		2 September 2015	Atlas V 551		Active
MUOS 5	United States	United States Navy	Military communications		24 June 2016	Atlas V 551		Active
GPS-3 1	United States	Air Force Space Command	Navigation		23 December 2016	Falcon 9	Known as Navstar 74, USA 289, Vespucci	Active
GPS-3 2	United States	Air Force Space Command	Navigation		22 August 2019	Delta IV M+ (4,2)	Known as Navstar 75, USA 293, Magellan	Active
GPS-3 3	United States	Air Force Space Command	Navigation		30 June 2020	Falcon 9	Known as Navstar 76, USA 304, Columbus	Active
GPS-3 4	United States	Air Force Space Command	Navigation		5 November 2020	Falcon 9	Known as Navstar 77, USA 309, Sacagawea	Active
GPS-3 5	United States	Air Force Space Command	Navigation		17 June 2021	Falcon 9	Known as Navstar 78, USA 320, Neil Armstrong	Active
GPS-3 6	United States	Air Force Space Command	Navigation		2022	Falcon 9		Awaiting launch
GPS-3 7	United States	Air Force Space Command	Navigation		2024	Vulcan Centaur		Awaiting launch
GPS-3 8	United States	Air Force Space Command	Navigation		202x			Awaiting launch
GPS-3 9	United States	Air Force Space Command	Navigation		202x			Awaiting launch
GPS-3 10	United States	Air Force Space Command	Navigation		202x			Awaiting launch
SBIRS GEO 1	United States	Air Force Space Command	Early warning	2 SBIRS sensors	7 May 2011	Atlas V 401	Known as USA 230	Active
SBIRS GEO 2	United States	Air Force Space Command	Early warning	2 SBIRS sensors	19 March 2013	Atlas V 401	Known as USA 241	Active
SBIRS GEO 3	United States	Air Force Space Command	Early warning	2 SBIRS sensors	21 January 2017	Atlas V 401	Known as USA 273	Active
SBIRS GEO 4	United States	Air Force Space Command	Early warning	2 SBIRS sensors	20 January 2018	Atlas V 411	Known as USA 282	Active

LM2100 (Modernized)

Satellite	Country	Operator	Type	Coverage	Launch date (UTC)	Rocket	Changes	Status
Arabsat-6A	Saudi Arabia	Arabsat	Communications		11 April 2019	Falcon Heavy		Active
SaudiGeoSat-1/HellasSat-4	Saudi Arabia, Greece	Arabsat, Hellas Sat	Communications	Ku-band, Ka-band	5 February 2019	Ariane 5 ECA		Active
JCSAT-17	Japan	SKY Perfect JSAT	Mobile communications	S-band	18 February 2020	Ariane 5 ECA		Active

LM2100M (Modernized Military)

Satellite	Country	Operator	Type	Coverage	Launch date (UTC)	Rocket	Changes	Status
NG-OPIR-GEO 1	United States	Air Force Space Command	Early warning	2 NG-OPIR sensors	2023			Awaiting launch
NG-OPIR-GEO 2	United States	Air Force Space Command	Early warning	2 NG-OPIR sensors	202x			Awaiting launch
NG-OPIR-GEO 3	United States	Air Force Space Command	Early warning	2 NG-OPIR sensors	202x			Awaiting launch
GPS-3F 1	United States	Air Force Space Command	Navigation		2026			Awaiting launch
GPS-3F 2	United States	Air Force Space Command	Navigation		202x			Awaiting launch
GPS-3F 3	United States	Air Force Space Command	Navigation		202x			Awaiting launch
GPS-3F 4	United States	Air Force Space Command	Navigation		202x			Awaiting launch
GPS-3F 5	United States	Air Force Space Command	Navigation		202x			Awaiting launch
GPS-3F 6	United States	Air Force Space Command	Navigation		202x			Awaiting launch
GPS-3F 7	United States	Air Force Space Command	Navigation		202x			Awaiting launch
GPS-3F 8	United States	Air Force Space Command	Navigation		202x			Awaiting launch
GPS-3F 9	United States	Air Force Space Command	Navigation		202x			Awaiting launch
GPS-3F 10	United States	Air Force Space Command	Navigation		202x			Awaiting launch
GPS-3F 11	United States	Air Force Space Command	Navigation		202x			Awaiting launch
GPS-3F 12	United States	Air Force Space Command	Navigation		202x			Awaiting launch
GPS-3F 13	United States	Air Force Space Command	Navigation		202x			Awaiting launch
GPS-3F 14	United States	Air Force Space Command	Navigation		202x			Awaiting launch
GPS-3F 15	United States	Air Force Space Command	Navigation		202x			Awaiting launch
GPS-3F 16	United States	Air Force Space Command	Navigation		202x			Awaiting launch
GPS-3F 17	United States	Air Force Space Command	Navigation		202x			Awaiting launch
GPS-3F 18	United States	Air Force Space Command	Navigation		202x			Awaiting launch
GPS-3F 19	United States	Air Force Space Command	Navigation		202x			Awaiting launch
GPS-3F 20	United States	Air Force Space Command	Navigation		202x			Awaiting launch
GPS-3F 21	United States	Air Force Space Command	Navigation		202x			Awaiting launch
GPS-3F 22	United States	Air Force Space Command	Navigation		202x			Awaiting launch
SBIRS GEO 5	United States	Air Force Space Command	Early warning	2 SBIRS sensors	18 May 2021	Atlas V 421	Known as USA 315	Active
SBIRS GEO 6	United States	Air Force Space Command	Early warning	2 SBIRS sensors	4 August 2022	Atlas V 421		Active

Cancelled orders

Satellite	Country	Operator	Type	Coverage
GE-9	United States	SES Americom	Television broadcasting	24 C-band
Jabiru 1	Australia	NewSat Corporation	Communications	50 Ka-band, 18 Ku-band, 1 S-band
Rainbow KA-1	United States	Cablevision	Television broadcasting	Ka-band
Rainbow KA-2	United States	Cablevision	Television broadcasting	Ka-band
Rainbow KA-3	United States	Cablevision	Television broadcasting	Ka-band
Rainbow KA-4	United States	Cablevision	Television broadcasting	Ka-band
Rainbow KA-5	United States	Cablevision	Television broadcasting	Ka-band
Agrani 1	India	Agrani	Mobile communications
Garuda 2	Indonesia	Asia Cellular Satellite	Mobile communications	88 L-band
Astrolink 1	United States	Astrolink	Mobile communications	Ka-band
Astrolink 2	United States	Astrolink	Mobile communications	Ka-band
Astrolink 3	United States	Astrolink	Mobile communications	Ka-band
Astrolink 4	United States	Astrolink	Mobile communications	Ka-band
SBIRS GEO 7	United States	Air Force Space Command	Early warning	2 SBIRS sensors
SBIRS GEO 8	United States	Air Force Space Command	Early warning	2 SBIRS sensors

References

1. "Lockheed Martin: A2100"
2. "Lockheed Martin's A2100 bus modernized and poised for new missions". SpaceFlight Insider. 2017-08-11. Retrieved 2021-06-14.
3. "First Lockheed Martin-Built A2100 Communications Satellite Marks 15 Years of On-Orbit Operations". Media - Lockheed Martin. Retrieved 2021-06-14.
4. . Defense & Aerospace Week  – via HighBeam (subscription required). September 21, 2011. Archived from the original on June 10, 2014. Retrieved November 12, 2013.
5. "Lockheed Martin-Built A2100 Satellites: Over 400 Cumulative Years In Orbit And Counting"
6. "Ariane 5 ECA launches JCSAT-13 and VINASAT-2 into orbit"
7. Lockheed Martin Completes Assembly on Arabsat's Newest Communications Satellite. Lockheed Martin. 20 February 2018.
8. "Frost & Sullivan Award
9. "Lockheed Martin: A2100" 2013-09-30 at the Wayback Machine
10. "A2100 History"
11. McKinnon, Douglas V., "Lockheed Martin's A2100 Spacecraft Bus Modernization", 34th AIAA International Communications Satellite Systems Conference, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, doi:10.2514/6.2016-5724, retrieved 2021-06-14
12. Hitchens, Theresa (2021-05-17). "New SBIRS Sat Creates Bridge To Next-Gen Missile Warning". Breaking Defense. Retrieved 2021-06-14.
13. "Global Positioning System III overview and contractors"
14. "ATK SSI P/N 80395-1 Datasheet"
15. "ATK SSI P/N 80443-1
16. "ATK SSI P/N 80405-1 Datasheet"
17. "Lockheed Martin-Built A2100 Satellites: Over 400 Cumulative Years In Orbit And Counting"
18. . Moog Inc. Archived from the original on 2016-08-10. Retrieved 2016-08-09.