[Satellite TODAY 10-30-10] Eutelsat Communications has lost the W3B satellite due to a satellite propulsion subsystem anomaly that occurred after its launch on an Ariane 5 rocket, the operator announced Oct. 29.
        The satellite, built by Thales Alenia Space, was scheduled to be co-positioned with Eutelsat’s W3A satellite at 7 degrees East to increase Ku-band coverage over Europe, North Africa and the Middle East as well as sub-Saharan African and the Indian Ocean islands by 50 percent.
        Eutelsat’s three satellites at that location now will remain in full service until the arrival of W3C, which is scheduled to launch in mid-2011. To compensate for the W3B loss, Eutelsat said it will initiate a new program, called W3D, for a planned launch in the first quarter of 2013.
        "The loss of W3B is a disappointment for Eutelsat and for our customers. We share it with our partners, in particular Thales Alenia Space and with the insurance community," Eutelsat CEO Michael De Rosen said in a statement.
        De Rosen said the operator  is fully insured for the investment in W3B and that Eutelsat will not incur any direct financial loss.