EUTELSAT 174A

EUTELSAT 174A is a geostationary communications satellite operating in Earth orbit, cataloged under NORAD ID 28924 and international designator 2005-052A. Launched in late December 2005, the spacecraft was manufactured by Alcatel Space and is operated by the European satellite operator Eutelsat. Though the satellite shares its launch vehicle and approximate launch window with another communications payload — AMC-23, a separate American spacecraft lofted on the same Proton-M/Briz-M rocket — EUTELSAT 174A is a distinct object with its own catalog entry, orbital parameters, and operator. The satellite remains in orbit as of this writing, stationed in the geostationary belt above the equator.

Mission and Purpose

EUTELSAT 174A was placed into service as a communications satellite under the management of Eutelsat, one of the world's largest fixed-satellite service operators. Eutelsat, headquartered in Paris and operating under the legal framework of a commercial company that evolved from an intergovernmental organization, maintains a broad fleet of geostationary spacecraft providing broadcasting, broadband, government, and data relay services across Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and the Pacific region.

The specific mission parameters recorded in public catalogs for EUTELSAT 174A list its mission type and status as unknown, meaning the detailed service profile — including frequency bands, transponder count, or intended coverage footprint — is not definitively confirmed in the open tracking record. What is known is that the satellite's orbital position, near 174 degrees east longitude (as its name implies), places it over the central Pacific Ocean. This longitude is a well-established arc for satellites serving the Asia-Pacific region and portions of Oceania, giving the spacecraft a geometric view of vast stretches of the Pacific basin.

Geostationary satellites at this longitude are commonly used to provide communications services to island nations scattered across the Pacific, maritime users traversing oceanic shipping and aviation corridors, and terrestrial networks in Australia, Southeast Asia, and the western coast of the Americas. While the catalog does not confirm the precise service configuration of EUTELSAT 174A, its orbital position is consistent with connectivity and broadcasting services of this general character.

Orbit and Tracking

EUTELSAT 174A occupies a geostationary orbit, the circular belt at approximately 35,786 kilometers above the equator where a satellite's orbital period closely matches Earth's rotation, causing it to appear essentially stationary relative to ground-based observers and antenna systems. The verified orbital data for this object shows an apogee of 35,822 kilometers and a perigee of 35,766 kilometers, indicating a very nearly circular orbit with only a modest difference of 56 kilometers between the highest and lowest points. This slight eccentricity is characteristic of an operational or near-operational geostationary spacecraft; a perfectly circular orbit is rarely achieved in practice.

The orbital period of EUTELSAT 174A is recorded at 1,436.1 minutes — approximately 23 hours and 56 minutes — which closely matches Earth's sidereal rotation period. This synchronization is the defining characteristic of the geostationary orbit class and is what enables the satellite to maintain a relatively fixed position above a single geographic point on the equator.

The satellite's inclination is listed at 4.2 degrees, which is a meaningful deviation from the ideal equatorial plane of zero degrees. A satellite in a truly geostationary orbit maintains an inclination very close to zero. When inclination drifts above roughly one or two degrees, the satellite begins to trace a small figure-eight pattern — known as an analemma — relative to a fixed point on the ground. This can complicate the use of fixed ground antennas that are not equipped to track a moving target. An inclination of 4.2 degrees suggests that active north-south stationkeeping maneuvers may no longer be being performed, or that the satellite has been allowed to drift as part of an inclined-orbit operational phase designed to conserve fuel. Inclined-orbit operation is a well-established practice for aging geostationary spacecraft, allowing them to remain commercially or operationally useful while extending their usable life by halting the fuel-intensive task of correcting orbital plane drift.

EUTELSAT 174A is tracked continuously by the United States Space Surveillance Network, and its orbital elements are published in standard two-line element format, allowing ground stations and satellite-tracking applications to compute its current position.

Design and Operator

EUTELSAT 174A was manufactured by Alcatel Space, the satellite-building division of the French telecommunications and electronics company Alcatel. At the time of the spacecraft's construction in the early 2000s, Alcatel Space was one of Europe's most prominent satellite manufacturers, with a substantial portfolio of geostationary communications satellites built for operators around the world. The company subsequently underwent corporate restructuring and was absorbed into what became Thales Alenia Space, a joint venture between Thales and Leonardo (then Finmeccanica). Alcatel Space's heritage designs, including the Spacebus platform family, were carried forward into the successor organization.

The satellite has a recorded mass of 2,200 kilograms. In the context of geostationary communications satellites of the mid-2000s era, this places EUTELSAT 174A in a moderate mass category. Many commercial telecommunications satellites of that period ranged from approximately 2,000 to over 5,000 kilograms at launch, with mass largely driven by propellant load, solar array size, and transponder payload. The 2,200-kilogram figure is consistent with a mid-capacity platform designed for a defined regional communications role rather than a large, flagship multi-beam satellite.

Eutelsat itself is registered as both the operator and the owner of the spacecraft, consistent with its role as a direct satellite fleet operator rather than a lessee or reseller. Eutelsat's broader fleet strategy has historically included a mix of purpose-built satellites for high-demand orbital slots over Europe and the Middle East, alongside smaller or repositioned assets for other regions. The 174-degree east position, while not among Eutelsat's busiest European orbital slots, fits a broader pattern of maintaining coverage assets across geographically significant positions in the Asia-Pacific arc.

The satellite was launched on December 28, 2005 (Eastern Standard Time), corresponding to December 29, 2005 in Coordinated Universal Time. It was carried aloft by a Proton-M launch vehicle using a Briz-M upper stage, a Russian heavy-lift rocket system that was the workhorse of commercial geostationary launches during that era, frequently delivering multiple payloads to the geostationary transfer orbit in a single mission.

Current Status and Significance

EUTELSAT 174A remains in orbit as of the current catalog record, with no decay or reentry date on file. The satellite has been operational in the geostationary belt for approximately two decades, a service duration that places it well within — and potentially beyond — the typical design lifetime for a commercial geostationary communications satellite of its generation, which was commonly specified at fifteen years.

The inclination of 4.2 degrees recorded in current tracking data is a notable characteristic that invites attention. Geostationary satellites in nominal commercial service are typically maintained at inclinations below 0.1 degrees to preserve compatibility with fixed-dish receiving systems. An inclination of 4.2 degrees is well above this operational threshold and is more consistent with a spacecraft operating in an inclined-orbit, end-of-life, or residual capacity mode. Some operators continue to extract value from satellites in inclined orbit, particularly for services such as maritime communications, aeronautical links, or government applications that can accommodate tracking antennas. Others may retain a spacecraft in inclined orbit as a backup or parking asset. The publicly available catalog record does not confirm which of these scenarios applies to EUTELSAT 174A.

From a tracking and cataloging perspective, EUTELSAT 174A is significant as a long-duration resident of the geostationary belt. Objects at geostationary altitude are not subject to atmospheric drag and do not naturally reenter within any human-relevant timescale without active disposal maneuvers. At end of operational life, satellite operators are expected under international guidelines to raise their spacecraft into a graveyard orbit several hundred kilometers above the geostationary belt, clearing the valuable orbital arc for future users. Whether EUTELSAT 174A has been or will be maneuvered to such a disposal orbit is not confirmed in the current catalog record.

The satellite's longevity in orbit reflects both the engineering standards of Alcatel Space and the characteristics of the geostationary environment itself. For observers and researchers interested in orbital population and space situational awareness, EUTELSAT 174A represents a typical example of a mid-2000s communications satellite navigating the transition from active service into the later phases of its orbital life — a phase that is increasingly scrutinized by the satellite industry, regulatory bodies, and the broader space sustainability community as the geostationary belt becomes an ever more congested and commercially critical resource.