AMOS 5 & Luch-5A

The Luch-5 are the Russian follow-on relay satellites, which replace the Luch (Altair) and Luch-2 (Gelios) satellites. Two satellites named Luch 5A and Luch 5B were procured for launches in 2010 and 2011. The smaller satellites are based on the Ekspress-1000 bus and were launched with a co-passenger on Proton-M Briz-M boosters. S- and Ku-band data relay channels of each satellite will be linked with receive/transmit points via satellite communications links. Each data relay satellite is capable of orienting its high-precision antennas towards low-flying space objects so as to “catch” and “track” them along their trajectories. Moreover, each of the two user antennas is capable of tracking its “own” low-flying space object. One antenna will operate in the Ku-band, the other – in the S-band, with the Ku-band channel capacity at 150 Mbit/s and the S-band channel capacity at up to 5 Mbit/s.

On July 30 2008 a contract was signed between the JSC "Academician M.F. Reshetnev" Information Satellite Systems and Israeli-based Space Communication Ltd. to build and launch the geostationary satellite system AMOS-5, based on the Ekspress-1000N platform. The contract covers the development and launch into orbit of the satellite AMOS-5, the establishment of the ground control segment, and personnel training and maintenance services. The subcontractor on the transponder and antennas is Thales Alenia Space. AMOS-5 features 18 C-band and 16 Ku-band transponders. The AMOS-5 was scheduled for delivery and launch by 31 March 2011, and is due to operate for 15 years, at least 14 of which will be insured.