# TV-Sat 1

> decommissioned West German communication satellite

**Wikidata**: [Q133581](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q133581)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TV-SAT_1)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/tv-sat-1

## Summary  
TV‑Sat 1 was a West German communications satellite launched on 21 November 1987 aboard an Ariane 2 rocket. Operated by Deutsche Bundespost and built by Aérospatiale on a Spacebus‑300 bus, it was placed in geostationary orbit but suffered a solar‑array drive failure and was decommissioned to a graveyard orbit in May 1989.

## Key Facts  
- **Launch date:** 21 Nov 1987 02:19 UTC (Ariane 2 V20 from ELA‑2).  
- **Operator:** Deutsche Bundespost (West Germany).  
- **Manufacturer & bus:** Aérospatiale; Spacebus‑300 platform.  
- **Launch mass:** 2 136 kg (launch‑weight).  
- **Power system:** Two spacecraft solar arrays plus an S400 battery.  
- **Design service life:** 8 years; actual operational life ≈ 1.5 years before failure.  
- **COSPAR ID / NSSDC ID:** 1987‑095A.  
- **Orbit:** Geostationary; later moved to a graveyard orbit for decommissioning.  
- **Part of:** TV‑Sat pair (first West German communications satellite series).  
- **Successor:** TV‑Sat 2 (launched after TV‑Sat 1).  

## FAQs  
### Q: What was TV‑Sat 1?  
A: TV‑Sat 1 was a West German communications satellite launched in 1987, operated by Deutsche Bundespost, and designed to provide television and data services from geostationary orbit.  

### Q: When and how was TV‑Sat 1 launched?  
A: It was launched on 21 November 1987 at 02:19 UTC aboard an Ariane 2 rocket (flight V20) from the ELA‑2 launch complex at the Guiana Space Centre.  

### Q: Why was TV‑Sat 1 decommissioned so early?  
A: A failure of the solar‑array drive mechanism shortly after launch limited the satellite’s usable power, leading to its early retirement and relocation to a graveyard orbit in May 1989.  

### Q: Who built TV‑Sat 1 and what bus did it use?  
A: The satellite was manufactured by the French company Aérospatiale and employed the Spacebus‑300 spacecraft bus.  

### Q: What satellite followed TV‑Sat 1?  
A: TV‑Sat 2, the second satellite of the TV‑Sat series, succeeded TV‑Sat 1 after its decommissioning.  

## Why It Matters  
TV‑Sat 1 marked a pivotal step in West Germany’s independent satellite communications capability during the late Cold War era. By leveraging the European Ariane launch system and a French‑built Spacebus platform, the mission demonstrated cross‑border cooperation in space technology, laying groundwork for later German and European satellite programs. Although its operational life was curtailed by a solar‑array failure, the experience informed design improvements for its successor, TV‑Sat 2, and contributed to the evolution of reliable geostationary communications infrastructure that underpins today’s broadcast and data services across Europe. The satellite’s story also illustrates the challenges of early satellite engineering and the importance of robust power‑system design for long‑duration missions.  

## Notable For  
- First West German communications satellite launched on a European Ariane vehicle.  
- Utilized the Spacebus‑300 bus, a pioneering European satellite platform.  
- Early failure of the solar‑array drive mechanism, providing critical lessons for subsequent designs.  
- Part of the inaugural TV‑Sat series that established Germany’s presence in geostationary communications.  
- Decommissioned to a graveyard orbit, exemplifying responsible end‑of‑life satellite disposal.  

## Body  

### Overview  
TV‑Sat 1 (also written TV‑Sat‑1, TVSat 1, TVSat) was a communications satellite built to serve West Germany’s television and data transmission needs. It belonged to the TV‑Sat pair, the first German‑owned geostationary communications satellites.

### Development and Manufacture  
- **Manufacturer:** Aérospatiale (France).  
- **Spacecraft bus:** Spacebus‑300, a modular platform used for several European satellites.  
- **Power:** Two solar arrays (rated “2” in the source) and an S400 battery system.  

### Launch  
- **Vehicle:** Ariane 2, flight designation V20.  
- **Launch site:** ELA‑2 at the Guiana Space Centre.  
- **Date & time:** 21 Nov 1987, 02:19 UTC.  
- **Mass at launch:** 2 136 kg.  

### Mission and Operations  
- **Orbit:** Inserted into a geostationary orbit to provide continuous coverage over Europe.  
- **Intended service life:** 8 years (design), but only about 1.5 years of functional service were achieved.  
- **Operator:** Deutsche Bundespost, the West German state postal and telecommunications agency.  

### Failure and Decommissioning  
- **Failure event:** The solar‑array drive mechanism malfunctioned shortly after launch, reducing power generation capability.  
- **Result:** The satellite could not maintain full operational capacity, leading to early termination of its mission.  
- **Decommissioning:** Moved to a graveyard orbit in May 1989, formally ending its service.  

### Legacy and Successor  
- **Follow‑on:** TV‑Sat 2 was launched as the second satellite of the series, incorporating lessons learned from TV‑Sat 1’s power‑system issue.  
- **Impact:** TV‑Sat 1’s experience contributed to the maturation of European satellite technology and operational procedures, influencing later German and EU communications projects.  

## Schema Markup  
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  "@type": "Thing",
  "name": "TV-Sat 1",
  "description": "Decommissioned West German communications satellite launched in 1987.",
  "sameAs": [
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## References

1. [Source](https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/tvsat-1.htm)
2. Jonathan's Space Report
3. [Source](https://www.dlr.de/en/rb/research-operation/missions/communications/tv-sat-1-2)