Nilesat 101 [Astrium]
Official name NILESAT 102
Alternative name Nilesat 102
Cospar ID 2000-046B
Norad ID 26470
Launch date 2000-08-17
Launch site FRGUI
Launch vehicle Ariane-44LP H10-3
Country/Organization Egypt
Type application Communication
Operator Nilesat
RCS size LARGE
Decay date ON ORBIT
Period (min) 1468.78
Inclination (deg) 7.47
Perigee (km) 36396
Apogee (km) 36452
Eccentricity 0.000768723918295629
Mean motion (revs. per day) 0.980405506610929
Semi-Major axis (km) 42802.135
Raan (deg) 67.1456
Arg of perigee (deg) 20.5415
Shape Box + 1 Pan + 1 Dish
Mass (kg) 1800
Height (m) 2.4
Width (m) 1.7
Depth (m) 1.7
Span (m^2) 21.5
Contractors Astrium
Equipment 12 Ku-band transponders
Configuration Eurostar-2000
Power 2 deployable solar arrays, batteries

With the launch of Nilesat 101 on 28 April 1998, delivering more than 100 digital TV channels as well as radio and multimedia services to more than five million homes over the whole of North Africa from Morocco to the Persian Gulf, Egypt became the first African country to have its own direct TV broadcast satellite. A second satellite, Nilesat 102, was launched in 2000, and the Nilesat system now broadcasts more than 150 digital TV channels and provides additional services such as data transmission, turbo internet and multicasting applications.

Under the in-obit delivery contract to the Egyptian radio and TV union Nilesat, Astrium supplied the two direct-broadcast satellites (based on the Eurostar-2000 version of the company's Eurostar series) and the two control centres (in Cairo and Alexandria), together with comprehensive operator training for the Egyptian engineers for control of the satellite once in orbit.

NileSat 102 was retired in June 2018 and moved to a graveyard orbit.

Satellite COSPAR Date LS Launch Vehicle Remarks
NILESAT 1998-024A 1998-04-28 FRGUI Ariane-44P H10-3 with BSat 1b
NILESAT 102 2000-046B 2000-08-17 FRGUI Ariane-44LP H10-3 with Brasilsat B4