Eutelsat 36B (formerly Eutelsat W7) is a communications satellite in the W series operated by Eutelsat. It is co-located with Eutelsat 36A satellite at 36° East. It was launched on 24 November 2009, at 14:19:10 UTC, by a Proton launch vehicle.

Description

Eutelsat and Alcatel Alenia Space announced in December 2006 that the two companies have signed a contract under which Alcatel Alenia Space will manufacture and deliver the Eutelsat W7 communications satellite. Manufactured by Thales Alenia Space in its Cannes Mandelieu Space Center, based on a Spacebus-4000C4 satellite bus, it features up to 70 Ku-band transponders, 12 kW of power, a weight of 5627 kg, and has a lifetime of about 17 years (2009-2026). Eutelsat 36B is one of the most powerful spacecraft in the fleet of Eutelsat. Digital broadcasting and direct-to-home (DTH) video services is beamed to customers in Russia and Sub-Saharan Africa. The new satellite replaced all the capacity on the SESAT 1 (now Eutelsat 16C) satellite, which was redeployed to 16° East after nearly 10 years of operations at 36° East. Eutelsat 36B communications payload is connected to five downlink beams for Europe, Russia, Africa, the Middle East, and Central Asia. Eutelsat 36B is expected to be replaced by Eutelsat 36D, currently scheduled for launch in late 2024.