PARIS Eutelsats W3A telecommunications satellite, the first of a new generation of satellite platforms built by EADS Astrium, was successfully orbited March 16 by an International Launch Services (ILS) Proton rocket from the Russian-run Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, Eutelsat and ILS announced.

The launch occurred at 12:06 a.m. March 16 Central European Time, or 6:06 p.m. March 15 EST. The Breeze-M upper stage then flew for nine hours and fired its engines five times before placing the satellite into geostationary transfer orbit. W3As on-board motor will make the final orbital corrections, with commercial service expected to start in May. It will replace Eutelsats W3 satellite.

The satellite, weighing 4,200 kilograms at launch, will be operated from Paris-based Eutelsats 7 degrees east longitude orbital position for communications between Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. It will also expand Eutelsats presence in central and southern Africa, considered a growth area among businesses needing satellite capacity.

W3A is the first EADS Astrium Eurostar 3000 platform to be launched. It is EADS Astriums entry into the heavyweight commercial satellite class against competitors Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Alcatel Space and Space Systems/Loral.

Intelsat Ltd. of Washington and Inmarsat Ltd. of London have scheduled launches later this year of satellites using this platform. The W3A has 58 Ku- and Ka-band transponders, of which 50 can be operated simultaneously. It is designed to operate for 15 years.