ESA TV Footage–info feed on 25 April

The next ESA TV Footage feed will be transmitted on

Wednesday 25 April 2001

11:00-12:00 GMT

Please note the transmission parameters below.

The ESA TV footage feed includes the following three items:

Alenia Presentation on Artemis (5 minutes, 11:00-11:05 GMT):

Communications is one sector of space activity that has a truly commercial nature- the ESA Artemis spacecraft will herald the start of a new generation of technology and communications services. Built in Europe by a consortium of companies for launch in 2001 from the European launch base in Kourou, French Guiana, Artemis is a satellite for testing and operating new telecommunications services. It will have a dual purpose- to demonstrate affordable, wide-coverage mobile communications satellite services and to test direct satellite-to-satellite communications, including a revolutionary laser link to replace conventional earthbound relay systems.

This 5 minute presentation produced by Alenia includes images of the construction of Artemis and 3-D graphics of Artemis in orbit. Please note that the video is set to copyrighted music and therefore unavailable for future broadcast use.

Rushes of Artemis arrival and unpacking in Kourou (25 minutes, 11:10-11:35 GMT):

Artemis was recently shipped to Kourou in French Guayana to be readied for its launch on Ariane 5 this summer. The 3,100 kg satellite completed an 8,000 km sea voyage from Europe to the jungle launch base at Kourou in French Guiana in South America this spring.

Artemis started its journey by road in a convoy of lorries which left ESA’s space technology centre (ESTEC) in Noordwijk, the Netherlands destined for the French port of Le Havre.

Here the hi-tech cargo was transferred into a specially equipped transport ship, MS Toucan, for the sea voyage to the European space port at Kourou operated by Arianespace on the opposite side of the Atlantic.

This transmission features the rushes of the arrival of Artemis by ship in Kourou, its subsequent transportation and unpacking from the crate. The rushes carry clean international sound only.

Since its arrival in warmer climates, Artemis has been undergoing a series of pre-launch tests and final checks in preparation for the announcement of a specific launch date, which will be on an Ariane 5 rocket later this summer

Satellite parameters

Eutelsat W1, 10 degrees East

Transponder B5, channel 2 (digital, horizontal)

F=11.14375 MHz, SR=5.632 MS/sec, FEC=3/4

MPEG-2 (4:2:0)

MCR: Tel +31 71 565 6322, Fax +31 71 565 6340

PID-codes (Hex): audio 24, video 21, text 0, PCR 21

For further information and a daily update of the transmission schedule, visit our website at http://television.esa.int. For all enquires, contact Claus Habfast, Tel +31 71 565 3838, Fax +31 71 565 6340, e-mail chabfast@hq.esa.fr.

With kind regards,

ESA TV Service